


The Infinite Loops: A Tale of two Realms

by TokoWH



Category: Legend of Spyro, Spyro, Spyro the Dragon (Video Games)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Mood Whiplash, Mostly humor, groundhogs day loop, infinite loops, ocassional, occassional drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-01-14 15:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 156,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1272127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TokoWH/pseuds/TokoWH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of Innortal's 'Infinite Loops' series. </p><p>Something has happened to the realms, and now the Spyros from the Legends and Classic series are forced to relive their adventures over and over again. How will 'Legend' Spyro handle going through all that strife again? How many ways can 'Classic' Spyro mess with the people he knows? All that's for certain is hardships, strife, and hilarity will soon ensue.</p><p>Has moved permanently to FF.N only uploads: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10163038/1/The-Infinite-Loops-A-Tale-of-two-Realms</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And so it begins...

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: Drabbles/short stories beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments on how this fic works at the end.)

**Legends Loop 1.1:**

Spyro wasn't sure how it had happened. Maybe with his last breath before he had been dragged off to Ancestors-knew-where, Malefor had cursed him as a last act of vengeance. All Spyro knew was that, from the moment he'd left the swamp to shortly after he had repaired the world, he was reliving over and over again the multitude of trials he had endured during the struggle against the Dark Master.

How many times now had it been? Three. Of that, he was certain.

Though at first he had almost lost his will at the thought of having to relive these hardships over and over again, he had managed to press on in the hope that, sooner or later, this curse would wear off. Thanks to keeping his memories, things were a bit easier due to already being well-trained in the four primary elements, and he managed to get things done moderately quicker than he had on his first 'adventure'.

However, despite the new free time he had, he had yet to find a way out.

"Geez, no matter how many times we end up here, it gets no less freaky."

Spyro didn't respond to his adopted brother as he hopped onto another floating platform, his determined expression unchanging. Sparx seemed to be somewhat affected by this curse he was under, in that occasionally he would keep his memories of what was happening in the 'loops'. Out of the three 'loops' he had gone through so far, Sparx had been 'awake' for two of them.

Part of Spyro was somewhat grateful for the fact that Sparx didn't always remember. Even though having someone with him who knew what was happening helped him keep his sanity, at least Sparx wouldn't have to endure as much as _he_ would.

Sparx flew in front of him. Despite his usual snarky and cowardice nature, there was an expression of concern on his face. "You alright, bro?"

Spyro still didn't say anything. He knew exactly why Sparx had asked him that, and quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. This whole experience had been maddening, yet somehow he had managed to keep a hold on himself. Fighting Gaul, the Destroyer, Malefor, and even restoring the world several times now, he had yet to break down.

However, jumping down onto the final platform, Spyro shivered. This was _always_ the hardest part of each loop for him.

"Persistent little fellow, aren't you? No mercy this time."

Spyro narrowed his eyes as an adult black dragoness flew down in front of him. Despite how many times he had gone through this loop, seeing Cynder back in her adult form, when she was under the control of Malefor, had always felt like a massive punch in the gut. The first time he had looped, he'd had to fight back tears as he forced himself to fight her.

His only solace was the fact that, unlike Sparx, Cynder had yet to be 'awake' during one of these loops. At least he didn't have to worry about her being consciously aware while going through these nightmares again. As the dark dragoness went on about the return of the Dark Master, only one thought crossed Spyro's mind.

_'Don't worry, Cynder... I promise you, I'll figure a way out of this. We'll have the peace we so rightfully deserve. Until then... Please, just don't wake up...'_

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.1:**

Spyro wasn't exactly sure how it had happened. Somehow, it was like someone kept hitting the rewind button on his life. One day, not so long ago, he had just beaten the Sorcerer and was relaxing on Dragon Shores. The next, he was reliving his adventures throughout his life over and over again. At first it didn't seem so bad, getting to redo his most awesome moments over again.

But now, as he walked along the path to _that_ dreaded task for one of the orbs, he was starting to get increasingly annoyed.

 _"Leeeeeets doooo the tiiiiiiime warp agaaaaaaaaaain!"_ Sparx sang, flying by Spyro's side as he hummed to himself.

"You're not helping, Sparx."

_"C'mon, Spyro! I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little."_

Spyro shook his head. Thanks to Sparx's special connection with him, while everyone else had lost their memories throughout each 'loop', as Spyro called them, Sparx was one of the few who had managed to keep them. As Spyro watched his best friend sing to himself, he was still wondering if that was a good or a bad thing.

With a sigh, he walked over to the super spring power-up. Walking through it and landing on the platform above, Spyro came face to face with the Breeze Builder he dreaded seeing each loop.

"Spyro! Thank goodness you're here! The Land Blubbers—"

Spyro tuned Fisher out. He had heard this speech more times than he would have liked. 'The Land Blubbers are jerks, hid my gears, I'm too lazy to get them, please help!'

Spyro sighed. Despite the many times he had done this, he still hadn't gotten the hang of it. He growled. _'If I have to hear 'Trouble with the trolley, eh?'_ one _more freaking time..._ _'_

"So, Spyro! Will you please help me?"

Spyro snapped back to reality as Fisher finished. Spyro shot the Breeze Builder a glare, an orb held in his hands...wings...whatever. That was the ransom for this mission.

After the second loop of having to go through this infuriating task, Spyro had rage-quit and hoped that missing one of the orbs wouldn't matter too much. _Unfortunately_ , as Spyro soon learned, they were the only way to Dragon Shores and back to the Artisan Realm, which meant he didn't have much choice in the matter.

Spyro glanced at Fisher's eyes, wide and pleading. In the back of his mind, he somehow knew that Fisher knew just how horrific this task was, and that was why he didn't want to do it. Spyro sighed. What exactly was he supposed to do, though? He couldn't just forcefully take the orb from him.

...Could he?

A blast of fire bellowed out as Fisher went sailing out of a nearby window and into a pool of water. Spyro held onto the orb firmly as he turned to head back down to the platform below. Sparx flew in front of him, giving him a stern glare.

_"Geez. Harsh, much?"_

"Sparx, do you have _any_ idea how hard this thing is? I've had to do this trolley thing three times now because of this time warp stuff. _Not_ counting the times I've messed up. Once we figure out what's going on and fix it, _then_ I'll do this again for the final time. Until then, I _refuse_ to do this nightmare anymore!"

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.2:**

Sparx had awakened with a yawn. Bright day in the Artisan world? Check. News crew interviewing some elders about the Dragon Realms? Check. Giant green bolts from the sky about to turn them into stone in three, two, one...

_CLASH!_

Check.

Yep. They had looped again.

Sparx stretched as he watched the dragons fly around in terror. After the fifth time, it had kind of lost the impact it had originally had. As the last dragon in sight turned to stone, Sparx rolled his eyes.

_"Well, I'm pretty sure we know what to do at this point."_

"Got that right! Gnasty Gnorc is going down!"

Sparx paused at the voice before raising an eyebrow. Turning around, his eyes went wide at the sight in front of him. Where Spyro normally was supposed to be now stood a red dragon, almost identical to Spyro in body structure outside of the more curved snout. Sparx reeled back a bit in surprise.

_"W-wha!? Who are you!?"_

The red dragon seemed hurt by Sparx' question as he gave him an annoyed glance. "What's wrong, Sparx? Don't you remember your best bud Flame?"

Sparx was silent for a few seconds. Flame... Wasn't he that dragon Spyro had rescued from Gnasty when Red attacked? The heck was he doing there? Where was Spyro?

Before Sparx could ask any questions, though, Flame had already darted off towards the first dragon statue. As the dragon was freed from his stone prison, Flame smirked.

"Where's Gnasty Gnorc? His butt is _begging_ to be flame broiled!"

As Flame and 'that first dragon', as Spyro and he had taken to calling him, started to talk, Sparx scratched his head.

 _"Well... This...is new,"_ he muttered. Despite the odd circumstances, Sparx was sure of one thing: this was going to be one _interesting_ loop.

* * *

Spyro sighed as he laid in his bed... Or rather, his bed in _this_ loop, anyway. At first it had seemed odd, and part of him had been hopeful these loops had finally broken, but it quickly became apparent that was not the case. Rather, it seemed like these loops weren't always going to be the same thing over and over, a fact that he had realized early on in the morning when he'd woken up in the home of a certain other dragon.

A door creaked and the sound of falling water was heard, followed by a loud _clank_.

"Spyro!"

Several footsteps were heard as the door to 'his room' swung open. In the door frame, a wet pink dragoness stood. Spyro stared bemusedly at his 'sister' as the dragoness picked the bucket up off her head and glared at him.

When Spyro had realized he was going to have to live with Ember in this loop, at first he had panicked. But once he had realized that he was supposedly her brother, and wasn't going to be performing the actions that had caused her to fall head-over-heels for him, he had calmed down considerably.

Ember growled before heading off to get a towel. Spyro laughed as he laid back in 'his' bed. After going through his adventures five times, counting when he had originally done them, a break from them sounded pretty good about now...

Though, he pitied whoever Ember's actual brother was when he got to that trolley.

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.2:**

Spyro sighed as he steadied his nerves. Despite being the fifth time he had done this, standing atop the Well of Souls still intimidated him greatly. The Night of Eternal Darkness was upon them...again. And Gaul was waiting for him down below.

"Freaky. No matter how many times we visit this place, it still gives me the creeps," Sparx said, shivering a bit as he floated close to his brother.

"At least you've only had to redo it three times so far," Spyro said with a sigh.

Spyro shook his head, hunching down as he prepared to jump. Before he did, however, Sparx quickly flew in front of his face. "Woah, hold on a second, bro! I just thought of something!"

Spyro was surprised by Sparx's sudden actions, and he caught himself before he jumped. Narrowing his eyes in slight annoyance, knowing that they didn't have much time before Malefor escaped, Spyro glanced at Sparx.

"What is it, Sparx?" he asked, a little irritably.

Sparx crossed his arms, apparently annoyed by Spyro's annoyance. "Well, you know how we usually fly down there, Gaul zaps you with that staff and causes you to lose your powers, then we all get trapped in a giant time popsicle?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you let him do that?"

That question caught Spyro off guard, and he raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Huh?"

"You heard me," Sparx said, floating closer towards Spyro. "Why do you let him do that? I mean, you know it's coming, so why do you let him take away your powers? Wouldn't it be easier to smash the staff before he does it, so you don't have to spend five hours smacking away at him with your attacks?"

Spyro paused as he thought about Sparx's logic. It made sense. Fighting Gaul without his powers had always been a pain, no matter how many times he had done it. In honesty...Spyro had never thought about it before. Throughout the five loops he'd done so far, he had always followed them from memory so he didn't cause any major alterations in case the loops broke.

However, if he _did_ make sure Gaul didn't steal his powers, how much would actually change? Even if he wasn't thrown into the Convexity beam and became Dark Spyro, Malefor was still supposed to escape on this night, and he would still have to use his Dragon Time to save Sparx, Cynder, and himself...

A determined look appeared on Spyro's face. It was time for some science.

* * *

"So, whelp—"

"Yeah, yeah. Night of Eternal Darkness, everything's hopeless, blah blah, get to the zapping!"

Gaul paused, but quickly growled at Sparx interrupting him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, having done this five times already (and seeing the confused look on Cynder's face), Spyro couldn't suppress a chuckle. This caused Gaul to become more irritated. As he reached for that damn staff that had caused Spyro so many problems before, Spyro quickly returned to the situation at hand.

Just as Gaul went to raise it above his head, a shard of ice struck the green crystal atop it, shattering it and causing the King of Apes to drop the staff. Gaul growled as he shook his throbbing hand. He glared at Spyro, who had a smug look upon his face.

"Clever, dragon. Very clever," Gaul said before he threw his arms back and three metal blades shot out atop each his hands.

Spyro jumped back as Gaul shot a green beam out of the emerald he had in place of his eye. Rolling out of the way as Gaul charged in a spinning tornado of blades, Spyro shot a ball of fire at him.

It seemed that, since he'd managed to keep his powers for this fight, Gaul had no reason to hold back against him. Regardless, at least this hopefully meant that the fight would go by much quicker. And who knows, maybe he wouldn't have to deal with that pesky super-powered evil side this time around.

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.3:**

Spyro was ecstatic as he sat outside the portal to Gnasty's Lair. This was the seventh loop, and he had learned something rather interesting in the previous one.

You see, each dragon had his own personal 'pocket space' they kept their mounds of gems in so they didn't have to lug giant bags around. At first, Spyro hadn't noticed anything _too_ out of the ordinary the first couple of loops, but by the sixth loop he had noticed his gem horde had became so big that he couldn't possibly fit anymore into it if he tried. It seemed that Sparx and himself weren't the _only_ things that carried over each loop.

 _"This is going to be freaking awesome!"_ Sparx exclaimed, looking at Spyro with wide, excited eyes.

Spyro smirked. Though he hadn't liked the idea of having to forcefully get rid of his gems to make room for this, he knew in the end it would be so worth it. With a deep breath to calm himself, Spyro jumped through the portal.

Landing into the all too familiar arena, Spyro looked up to see Gnasty's ugly mug. Not wasting a second, Spyro quickly went ahead with what he was planning.

"So, dragon! You've finally made it! I may have made the mistake of letting you escape under my radar, but no matter, I will finish you off here an—"

BAM!

Gnasty was interrupted when he was smacked in the face by a miniature missile. "Ow! Wha— _what the—?"_

BAM!

"Ugh! Hey, _qu—!_ "

BAM!

Sparx was laughing his butt off as Spyro kept pulling the Professor's miniature missiles out of his pocket space. He was going to have to remember to thank the Professor when he met him in this loop.

Putting another one in his mouth and lighting the fuse, Spyro shot it at Gnasty. The blast struck the Gnorc in the face again, and he twirled around for a few seconds as his eyes rolled in his head. Swearing he heard birds chirping, Gnasty slipped into unconsciousness and collapsed.

Spyro fell to the ground as he roared with laughter, rolling around for a few seconds before he looked up at Sparx. The dragonfly looked at him with a bemused expression. _"Well, that made the battle certainly easier. Wonder how else we can cheap out these battles?"_

Spyro picked himself up, looking at Sparx with a grin. "I have a few ideas, but let's not use the miniature missiles again. That made the battle go by way too quickly."

With one final laugh, Spyro used his atlas book to leave the realm. Things were quiet for a few seconds before a thief holding a key popped out from behind a door.

 _"Nyan-nyan-nyan..._ Nyan-nyan?"

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.3:**

Spyro's body was tense as he stood outside the gates to the Dark Master's lair. Despite being the tenth time he was about to do this, it made it no less easy, nor did it make the battle with him any easier. He looked back to Cynder; she was just as tense. At least she still had yet to realize that they were trapped in this time warp, so she didn't have to experience the same events over and over.

The same could _not_ be said for Sparx. He had been awake for six of these ten loops now, and was actually starting to become quite bold now that he knew what to expect. He'd actually wanted to come along to Malefor's lair to see the battle go on in person for a change, a chance Spyro was not yet willing to take.

Regardless, he got back to the task at hand. Quickly handling the last of Malefor's minions, he knew it was time. Time to fight this damned dragon once again, restore the world...and be forced to go through it all over again.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Cynder. She was always shaking badly at this part, and it made him frown to see her so scared. Without even thinking, he leant forward and nuzzled her cheek, the action surprising her greatly.

"U-uh, th-thanks Spyro. I-I don't think this is the appropriate time for that, though."

Spyro smiled as Cynder looked away, a blush on her cheeks. Spyro had attempted to see if he could get together with her in this loop before he had to repair the world, but so far all of his advances had only caused her to quickly change the subject as a luminous blush appeared on her cheeks. Though it was a bit sad that he wouldn't get to be with her again until these loops were over, it was rather cute to see the normally confident dragoness so flustered.

Still, he knew her words were true. Taking another deep breath, Spyro and Cynder opened the giant door. As they slowly opened, a puff of smoke escaped Spyro's nostrils.

_'Okay... Let's get this over with.'_

Had it not been for Cynder walking in cautiously every time so far, Spyro would have charged in and seen if he could shut Malefor up before he attempted to turn Cynder on him. Even though he knew she would be alright shortly after, it hurt him every time.

As they walked in, the lights in the room lit up...and Spyro's jaw promptly dropped as his eyes went wide.

"So, you've finally made it!" a surprisingly irritating voice said, _much_ higher and scratchier than anything Malefor had ever sounded like. "Well, you are too late! The Destroyer is on his way here as we speak! The world is doomed! _Mwahahahaha_!"

Cynder hunched down, growling as she glared at the monster who had tormented her in her early years. Spyro still had his jaw dropped as he struggled to come up with _any_ words for the bizarre sight in front of him.

Where there was normally supposed to be giant sadistic purple dragon, there now stood a short orange... _thing_ with a single horn on its head. The figure scoffed as it threw its robe back and pointed its rod at the two dragons.

"Well, then, dragons! If you honestly think you can stop me, Ripto, the Dark Master, then go ahead and try! You're both doomed either way! _Mwahahahahaaaa!_ "

Spyro had no words. In all these loops, this had to be the most _bizarre_ one yet.

 _'Now I'm beginning to regret not letting Sparx come with me... He's_ never _going to believe this...'_


	2. We are not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabbles beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments at the end of the 'chapter'.

**Classic Loop 1.4:**

Spyro smirked. This was his fiftieth loop, and he was getting rather good at all the things he had done on his adventures by this point. It had actually started to get a bit boring, as the battles he had normally found challenging were now over in almost a matter of minutes. Because of this, though, Spyro had spent the last few loops doing something different.

Throughout his later adventures in the 'original timeline', as he was calling it now, Spyro had stumbled across some rather interesting abilities. While most dragons could only shoot fire, Spyro found that he could wield multiple other elements most dragons couldn't. He wasn't exactly sure why this was the case; maybe it had something to do with purple dragons being extremely adept in magic, as he learned when the Sorcerer had attacked, but that was beside the point. What he _did_ figure out eventually, though, was that, despite starting his adventure with just fire in the original timeline, these abilities carried over with each loop.

As such, Spyro had decided to see what it would be like if he used a single different element other than fire for his adventures. The electricity loop hadn't been all that different from the main timeline, though seeing Ripto twitching on the ground had been hilarious. The ice loop had been more or less the same, but instead of Ripto twitching on the ground he'd been turned into a raptor popsicle. The water loop had been rather challenging, since water didn't do much damage, but in the end Spyro had managed to pull through. Surprisingly, despite not technically being an element, that one loop where he'd only used Dragon Kata had been rather easy.

But this loop... This loop had been a thing. Sparx had told him he was crazy when he first suggested it, and there had been times where he'd thought he wouldn't make it, but through sheer dumb determination, Spyro had pulled through.

Now standing in front of the 'hulked out' Sorcerer, as Spyro had started calling him, he had a hard time keeping a straight face over what was about to happen.

"I am the only real dragon in the Dragon Realms!"

"Really? Because the other dragons seem pretty real to me."

Spyro suppressed a laugh as the Sorcerer growled. As the Sorcerer shot a blast of dark magic at him, Spyro rolled out of the way and smirked. _'This is going to be hilarious!'_

Without missing a beat, Spyro shot out his 'secret weapon' for this loop. As the attack connected with the Sorcerer, he staggered back in annoyance. Opening his eyes, he saw what had hit him...and promptly glared at Spyro flatly.

"You _must_ be joking." he said, expression unchanging. "I am the Sorcerer! The only true dragon in the Dragon Realms! One of the most powerful beings to walk the realms! And you intend to fight me..."

The Sorcerer narrowed his eyes as a translucent orb floated by, popping not a second later.

"...with _bubbles_!?"

Spyro smirked, a few small bubbles floating out of his nostrils before he shot another stream at the Sorcerer.

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.4:**

Spyro sighed to himself. Another loop. Another time he had repaired the planet and got to spent a few precious moments with Cynder...only to have it all ripped away again as he woke up in the swamp he had once called home. How many times had it been now? Over fifty? He was unsure of the actual number. All he knew was that he was getting really tired of it.

"Hey, Spyro. Dragon fruit."

Spyro glanced over, lying on his back in the muddy ground. 'Dragon fruit' had became his and Sparx's code word so Spyro could figure out if Sparx was 'awake' for this loop or not. So far, for the fifty-plus loops, Sparx had been 'awake' for thirty of them.

Sparx floated down next to Spyro, seeing his depressed state. "...You holding up alright, bro?"

Spyro sighed as he turned onto his side. "When will it end, Sparx? I'm not sure how many more times I can go through all of this..."

Sparx frowned, unable to answer that question. For now, all Sparx could do was float down next to his brother and place a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, c'mon now... It can't last forever. Sooner or later we're gonna get out of this."

Despite his reassurance, Spyro barely stirred. Sparx crossed his arms, looking semi-annoyed. He wasn't exactly sure what else to say as he floated in the air for a few seconds.

"...Ya' know, Spyro. If you're feeling a bit burned out, we don't have to save the world _every_ loop. I'm sure those cranky ancestor dragons would understand us wanting to take a vacation for a few loops."

"I can't do that, Sparx," Spyro said flatly as he rolled over to look at his brother. "I mean, what if I do and the loops decide to end? The world would be in massive peril because I did nothing. Besides, Cynder..." Spyro sighed and curled up into a ball. "I can't let the Dark Master keep control of her. Even if she reverts back to _that_ each loop... I can't let her suffer like that."

Sparx paused, lowering his head in defeat as he realized he wasn't going to reason with his brother. Turning around, he shrugged. "Well, look on the bright side, then. At least having done this so many times, you've managed to shave a few hours off how long it usually took. At least Cyn doesn't have to stay in 'uber evil dragon' form for as long as she used to."

"Yeah, I suppose..." Spyro said, but paused as Sparx words fully hit him. "Wait, Sparx! What did you just say!?"

Sparx paused, glancing back at Spyro. "I said you've seriously sped up the process. I'm sure Cynder would be grateful for rescuing her somewhat quicker than—hey! Spyro, _wait!_ "

Sparx reached out his hand in a vain attempt to stop Spyro. Not a second after Sparx had said that, Spyro had jumped up and darted off into the woods, in the exact direction where they normally fought the apes for the first time. Sparx scratched the back of his head.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret what I've just said...?"

* * *

"Alright you lot! The Dark Master demands we search this swamp for any fierce creatures we can 'recruit' into our army," a rather brutish looking ape said to a bunch of smaller apes.

The group looked around themselves in confusion. In honesty, they had no idea why their master would want them to look for creatures in a swamp. All that was here were those living plants and smaller spiders. Hardly 'army for a new world order' material. Regardless, none of them really had the courage to question the Dark Master's authority.

As they started to head towards the swamp, though, they had heard a whistling sound. Hearing it come from above, they looked up as their eyes went wide and their mouths dropped. They didn't even have a second to fully process it as a rain of sharp ice shards flooded down upon them.

* * *

"Spyro! Spyro, bro! Where are you?" Sparx called. He was currently floating above the tree line, as past experiences had taught him that flying around the swamp ground usually resulted in him almost becoming a snack for some of the plant life there.

Putting his hand above his eyes to block out the sun, he saw a purple splotch flying his way. "Hey! Spyro! What the heck is going oooo— _ooooooooooooon!_ "

Sparx barely had time to dodge out of the way as Spyro darted past him, the force of the wind in his wake tossing the unfortunate dragonfly around. Eyes spinning as he grabbed his head to steady himself, Sparx saw Spyro heading back to their parents' house.

"Spyro! Wait up!"

Sparx groaned, trying in vain to keep up with his current speedster of a brother.

* * *

Nina and Flash looked at the note in front of them in disbelief. Was this one of Spyro and Sparx's games? No matter how many times they reread it, it just didn't make sense.

"Dear Mom and Dad:

Sparx and I are off to save the world. Be back in a few years.

Love, Spyro."

* * *

Ignitus sighed to himself. Things were truly hopeless. The other Guardians had been kidnapped, and the Dragon Temple had been overrun by apes. Truly, despite their struggles, the Dar—

"Spyro! For Pete's sake man, _wait up!_ "

Ignitus raised his head at the shouting as, not a second later, the sight he had never thought he would see appeared in front of him.

"You—"

"Yeah! Legendary purple dragon, here to turn the tides of war! Name's Spyro! What's that? The Dragon Temple has been taken over by apes? _Don't worry I got it be right back!_ "

Ignitus blinked as the purple dragon of legend, his mouth somehow wagging faster than even Volteer's, darted off towards the temple. Not a second later, a golden dragonfly came floating by, panting heavily.

"Wings...feel...like... _fire..._ "

Ignitus stood in wide-eyed silence at the bizarre scene that had just taken place. Feeling like the stress of everything might have gotten to him, he shook his head. Had it not been for the sound of explosions and apes yelling in terror, Ignitus would have thought he'd imagined the whole thing.

Maybe it was because he wanted to make sure he wasn't crazy, but Ignitus made his way to the temple. Surprisingly, the main gate that had been blocked off by the apes was now wide open. Cautiously walking in, he saw multiple spirit gems littered all around the place. All the doors had been opened, and the statue of Malefor—which they still hadn't gotten around to removing, despite the millennia of Malefor being their sworn enemy—had already descended into the floor of the dojo.

Standing in the middle, Spyro sat impatiently tapping his claw. Sparx was atop the dragon's head, desperately trying to catch his breath. Ignitus blinked a few times.

"Yes, this is really happening. I got rid of all the apes! By the way, look what I can do!"

Before Ignitus could even speak, Spyro had activated the training dummies and was currently throwing around fireballs and streams of fire left and right, Sparx holding on for dear life. Ignitus' mouth hung open as Spyro unleashed his fire fiery, taking care of the last few dummies as he floated down to the ground.

"Pretty cool, huh? By the way, the other guardians have been captured! I'm off to Dante's Freezer to rescue Volteer now! _Be right back!_ "

Once again, before Ignitus could say anything, Spyro had already darted off towards the frozen wasteland through the balcony. Ignitus paused before he slapped himself, if only to make sure he was still sane.

As Spyro flew through the air at breakneck speeds, Sparx holding on as best he could, he had a determined look about him. This wasn't going to be easy, even with the added skills he had acquired through the loops, but for just this one loop...he would hopefully get to save Cynder from her nightmare a few days earlier than normal.

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.5:**

Sparx tried his best not to laugh. Not all loops had followed Spyro's adventures to a T, but this so far had been the most entertaining one. He was currently in the Magic Crafter's world, flying from floating island to floating island. He was pale blue at the moment, a far cry from his usual golden color he had become used to maintaining throughout the loops thanks to Spyro's ever increasing skills... Of course, that meant nothing if Spyro wasn't actually his partner for the loop.

"Oof!"

Sparx glanced over at his current 'best friend' in this loop. The pink dragoness had toppled over in her glide and was currently picking herself up with a stretch. Ember sighed. "Why couldn't the dragons get turned to stone in a place with less bottomless pits?"

Sparx chuckled. When he had woken up to see Ember by his side instead of Spyro, he'd nearly busted up laughing. All in all, though, he had to give the dragoness _some_ credit. He hadn't even expected her to make it out of the Artisan Realm, yet somehow she had managed to make her way through it all while saving every dragon up to that point.

Though trying to watch her fight Gnasty's tougher minions was a bit painful, Ember was surprisingly clever when it came to figuring out puzzles. She'd even managed to figure out that insane super charge jump in Tree Tops on her first go, a feat Spyro was still struggling to remember despite all the loops he'd been through, and Flame had rage-quit after his fifth attempt during the loop in which Sparx had ended up with him. Though, the daring leaps she'd had to make to get through had shaken her up greatly for a good while after.

Sparx floated by with a bemused expression as Ember flamed one of the fools to lower a platform. "Sorry, but I really need to get up to one of the higher areas!"

_"Ember, I don't think you need to apologize to them. Didn't that one dragon say they don't feel pain?"_

Ember glanced up at Sparx, a sheepish expression on her face. "I know, but unlike Gnasty's minions, which are basically gems, these guys are still living creatures."

Sparx shook his head. Another thing he had learned about this dragoness throughout this loop was that she didn't like causing harm to non-animated-unanimated objects. Even though he had assured her that the small creatures around the Realms were just basically magic butterflies used to restore his health, she didn't like the idea of hurting them, even if it meant it would put herself at risk.

Sparx glanced around the Realm. Outside of Ember, there were still no signs of anything _too_ out of the ordinary this loop. Part of him was actually rather depressed by this. Though watching Ember flounder about was amusing, he had hoped that something new would come from it.

He heard Ember sigh. Nothing too new. Despite actually being rather excited when the adventure had started, she'd quickly realized just how dangerous it could be. At least she didn't constantly complain about it, though, which was more than he could say about Flame.

"Where's Spyro when you need him?"

Sparx paused when he heard Ember mutter those words. He glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Ember was still looking down at the ground with an exhausted look on her face, unaware of her dragonfly companion looking at her. Sparx quickly looked away when she lifted her head and started to head towards a nearby portal.

Had she really just mentioned Spyro? How was that possible? She shouldn't know who Spyro was in this loop. Spyro was nowhere to be seen in the Artisan Realm, which meant they couldn't have both been living there unlike that one loop where Spyro had nearly jumped out of his scales at the realization. There's no possible way she could have known him.

_'Unless...'_

Sparx glanced down at Ember as they jumped through the portal. Could it be possible that Spyro and him weren't the only ones looping? But how? Ember had never shown any sign of knowing she was caught in a time-loop before...

_'I'm going to have to tell Spyro about this next loop... Speaking of which, I wonder where he is in this loop?'_

* * *

Spyro groaned as he laid on 'his' bed. It looked like this was going to be another vacation loop, though it was going to be decidedly less awesome than the time before. He sighed as he looked around 'his' room and cringed slightly.

"Ack!"

Spyro chuckled as he heard a splash of water followed by a clanking sound. Rapid footsteps headed towards 'his' door, and it swung open to reveal a red dragon with a bucket on his head. Flame glared at Spyro as he lift the bucket off him, completely soaked from the prank.

"Not cool, sis!"

'Spyra' laughed. Though torturing Flame was going to be fun, for 'her' this loop couldn't end soon enough.

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.5:**

Spyro looked around the arena of the pirate ship. How many times had he been here now? He'd stopped counting after one hundred and thirty two. Despite this, he still couldn't help but wonder each time how this massive ship could stay afloat in the air even with magic.

Spyro's skills had become rather impressive for his age. Or rather, the age these loops keep sending him back to. Though he had struggled at first in this arena, now he was able to mop the floor with the challengers in little under a few seconds. In honesty, if he wanted to, he could easily bust out of his cell now with the earth element and tear these ships a new one. However, there was always one thing that kept him from doing just that.

"Just like old times."

Spyro stood firm as he watched Cynder circle him. He wasn't sure if Cynder 'fighting' him was one of the things that allowed her to 'escape' these pirates, but he didn't want to take the chance.

This part had always worried him, though not for the same reason it had originally. He had long since learned the fight was merely a ruse for Cynder to attempt her 'escape plan', which, as Spyro had found out in one loop, basically meant hitting the captain in the face with poison when she got a clear shot at him. Learning from experience that said tactic rarely _ever_ ended well for either of them, Spyro had developed several strategies over the loops to make sure Cynder could never get a clear shot at him. As horrible as it sounded, getting caught by the apes actually ended _better_ for her than what the captain would end up doing to her—and what he would end up doing to the captain.

The problem, though, was the timing. Despite most things staying pretty much the same during each loop, the apes attacking the ship always seemed to be random. This meant Spyro would often have to keep the ruse up while making sure nothing bad happened to her, which looked like it was about to be the case once again.

Spyro rolled out of the way as Cynder came spinning at him. He could never tell if Cynder honestly thought that such an attack would seem believable to the audience, or if she was just really bad at fake fighting. Spyro had pretty much learned all her moves during this 'fight' by now, so dodging them wasn't the problem.

The problem was making it seem like he was actually trying to fight.

Cynder charged forward and went to slash at Spyro's feet. This seemed to be one of her more preferred tactics for this 'battle', and thus Spyro easily kept one step ahead of her. The audience started to boo, but whether or not it was because they didn't like him or the fact that it appeared like he was in no real danger was beyond him.

Spyro rolled back and jumped onto the side of the wall before he pushed on it and flew to the other side of the arena. Spinning around, he saw Cynder heading his way. Usually, by now, this was when the apes would strike. It almost saddened him a little when he thought about it. Cynder shortly escaping the pirates only to get captured again by the apes. Part of him wanted to follow Cynder to see what that was like for her, but he knew that for each loop he had a 'part to play', so to speak.

Cynder jumped into the air, flipping as she went to bring her tail down on Spyro. Spyro easily side-stepped, causing the crowd to boo. He could really care less about what the crowd thought, though.

Glancing over, he saw Cynder had gotten her tail blade stuck in the wooden arena and was now struggling to free it with an annoyed look on her face. Spyro chuckled. It was rather rare that would happen in one of the loops, but it was always a funny sight when that happened... Though, Spyro had learned the hard way not to try to help her free it.

Spyro watched with an amused expression as Cynder freed her tail and looked at him with a mock angry glare. Or maybe she really was annoyed at Spyro chuckling at her. It was rather hard to tell. All Spyro knew was that, thanks to these loops, the glare that he used to find dreadful was actually starting to become rather cute.

These loops were really starting to desensitize the original strife he had felt going through this for the first time. Though he had dreaded this part originally, now it had more or less devolved into a play fight between him and his future love.

Dodging another fury of slashes with ease, Spyro couldn't hide the out-of-place smile on his face. The apes would be there any second now to tear these ships a new one, which actually depressed him in a way. Part of him wanted to spend a few more seconds with Cynder, even if she was faking a fight with him at the moment.

As Cynder had to pause to catch her breath for a few seconds, Spyro chuckled. Not a second later, a funny thought crossed his mind. Though he tried to keep things as close to how they actually happened the first time, surely _this_ wouldn't mess with things _too_ much. Besides, he was getting tired of having to wait until he repaired the world each loop for this.

As Cynder glanced up and tried to put on a mock angry expression, she was caught off guard by what happened next.

Spyro jumped forward and pressed his lips against Cynder's, the black dragoness' eyes going wide as a blush appeared on her face. The audience went silent at the sight, unsure of what was going on.

Cynder pulled back, staggering backwards, the blush still on her face. Struggling to steady her thoughts, her mouth moved in an attempt to say something, but no words came out. Predictably, the audience started to boo, though Spyro swore he could have heard at least one sweet sounding 'Aaaaw' amongst the disapproval.

Before Cynder could say anything, the ship shook. Just like Spyro had predicted, the ships were now being attacked by the apes. Though Cynder hesitated for a few seconds, she darted into the opposite gate as it crashed down. The ship's mast fell down soon after to prevent his pursuit as things started randomly bursting into flames. Spyro chuckled.

_'It's amazing how doing something so many times can change one's feelings about it.'_

With that, Spyro darted to the gate he normally escaped through.

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.6**

"Wait, wait, wait... You're telling me Ember actually mentioned me despite being in a loop where she shouldn't know I exist?"

_"I know it sounds weird, Spyro, but I heard what I heard. She specifically mentioned you, I swear!"_

Spyro groaned. That wasn't what he had hoped to ever hear. Out of all the possible people who could end up looping with him, _why_ did it have to be his number one fangirl? Spyro shook his head as he glared down at the arena below.

_"Well, look on the bright side. At least we know we're not the only ones!"_

Spyro glared at Sparx, shaking his head at the not-so-reassuring thought. "It still doesn't make sense, Sparx. I've encountered her several times now in these loops, and in almost none of them did she mention that she knows she's looping."

 _"Well, maybe unlike us, it's not every time for some people?"_ Sparx suggested as he scratched his chin.

"Maybe," Spyro muttered as he jumped off his throne. "For now, though, let's just deal with it when it comes up. I'm not exactly looking forward to the idea of spending eternity trapped in a loop with Ember."

Sparx chuckled at the annoyance in Spyro's voice, but nonetheless decided to humor Spyro. This was the first time a loop like this had ever happened, and Spyro was surprisingly excited by it. Sparx didn't know if he should be worried by that, considering what it was, but he didn't really have time to think about it as the doors to the arena opened.

"Spyro the dragon! In the name of Avalar, your reign of terror ends now!" a high and scratchy voice yelled, the robed figure pointing his scepter at the dragon.

Spyro smirked as he saw Ripto waddle into the arena. In almost every loop, he had played the hero or at least been a decent dragon, so the idea of playing as a villain for a loop was an interesting change of pace. Of course, he made sure not to _really_ hurt anyone, but that didn't stop him from playing it for all it was worth.

"Fool! Do you honestly think you stand a chance again me, Dark Master Spyro!? You are even a bigger fool than I had first thought! _AAHahahahahaha!_ "

Sparx face-palmed, half from Spyro's overblown performance, half from the title he had chosen for himself.

 _"The 'Dark Master'? Seriously?"_ Sparx asked, giving Spyro an odd look. _"That has to be the most generic, uncreative title for a big bad to give themselves ever."_

Spyro glared at Sparx. "C'mon! You try thinking of evil-sounding titles on the fly!"

Sparx sighed as Spyro jumped down to the arena below to face this Realm's 'hero'. He was having _way_ too much fun being the bad guy...

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.6:**

Spyro looked up at the night sky. So far, this loop had been pretty much standard. He hadn't tried to speed run it like that one loop where he nearly caused himself to die of dehydration, though getting to spend a few extra days with Cynder before the events of the Night of Eternal Darkness had been nice. Sparx was awake for this loop and, despite his attempts to convince him to start messing with people to pass time, Spyro had made sure to keep this loop as close to how things actually went as possible.

He couldn't quite place it, but something about this loop felt different...

It had been about a day or so since he had saved Cynder from Convexity. Again. Despite being two hundred something loops in now, seeing her like that every time depressed him greatly. At least she hopefully wouldn't remember it once whatever was causing this nightmare broke.

Spyro sighed. About now, Cynder should be coming out onto the balcony to ask him what was wrong. Spyro scanned the back of his mind. He could never remember what exactly he had said to her, likely something about Malefor, but over the loops he had managed to come up with a few responses that more or less kept the same meaning.

"Yo, Spyro!"

Spyro turned his head, a bit annoyed to see Sparx there. "What are you doing here, Sparx?"

"Well, hi to you too."

Spyro sighed. "You know what I mean, Sparx. Cynder's going to be coming out here any second now, and I don't want you messing with her." Spyro narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Need I bring up the loop where you got Volteer to—?"

"Oh, c'mon bro! You can't expect me to do the same exact things for every loop I'm awake in!" Sparx said, crossing his arms. "I mean, after one hundred and fifty something loops, things tend to get repetitive. Besides, Volteer was fine once the uncontrollable twitching wore off!"

Spyro shook his head before looking back at Sparx. "Sparx, I get that you're getting tired of this. I am too. Can you at least leave Cynder out of your pranks, though?"

"Fine, fine. That wasn't the reason I came out here, though."

Spyro raised an eyebrow at Sparx's comment. It had sounded so serious in comparison to how Sparx normally sounded, which was enough to make Spyro worry. "What is it, Sparx?"

Sparx diverted his eyes as he looked away. "Well...it's Cynder."

Spyro narrowed his eyes as he felt his blood run cold. "What about Cynder?"

"Well, you know how when we rescue Cyn normally, she's usually mopey for a good few days before she goes off on the quest that turns us all into a living popsicle?"

Spyro's muscles tensed up. Though Sparx hadn't told him what was going on yet, he got the feeling that he wasn't going to like it. "Yeah..."

"Well, lately she's been even more mopey than usual. Normally in the loops I've been through, I've seen her around the temple once or twice," Sparx said before turning back to Spyro. "Well, so far she has yet to leave her room in this loop. No one at the temple has heard a peep out of her."

Spyro paused as he let Sparx's words sink in. Spyro looked at the doorway. Normally, Cynder would have already been there by now. That, combined with what Sparx had said, started to worry him greatly. This odd feeling he had about this loop, it couldn't be...

_'No...'_

"Spyro...?"

_'No-no-no-no-NO!'_

Before Sparx could say anything more, Spyro darted off into the temple. Sparx barely got out of the way in time as he spun from the wind blowing behind him. Eyes spinning in his head as he grabbed his antenna to make it stop, he looked back at the temple. He just barely caught the distraught look on Spyro's face as he darted by.

* * *

 _'Please no!'_ Spyro thought to himself as he ran through the temple halls, unable to hide the worry on his face. _'Please... Just let this be one of those 'variation' loops! Please just let this be a minor variation! Don't let this be what I think it is..._ Please _don't let this be what I think it is!'_

It didn't take long for Spyro to make to the outside of Cynder's room. Panting heavily, he stared at it. Part of him didn't want to open it, worried that if he did, his greatest fear about this whole mess would be realized. However, if what he had been worried about was true, then he knew Cynder was going to need someone now more than ever. Taking a deep breath, Spyro opened the door.

At first, he didn't see anything. It wasn't until he really looked around did he see a black ball huddled up in the corner. Spyro gulped. This wasn't a good sign.

"C-Cynder?"

The black ball stirred for a few seconds before the dragoness glanced at him. Spyro could see the fear in Cynder's eyes, but he wasn't sure what it was about. He hoped it was for something completely unrelated, but at the back of his mind he knew what the real reason was. As much as he wanted to delude himself that this wasn't the case, he knew he needed to ask.

"Cynder... Do you remember?"

At first, Cynder said nothing as she stared at Spyro.

"R-remember what?" Her voice was shaky as she asked.

"Remember all of this. All the stuff we've already done. All of what's happened before."

Cynder raised her head at Spyro's words. In the back of his mind, Spyro cringed as he saw her eyes. In them was something he had hoped he wouldn't see again until all this mess was over. Until he didn't have to worry about it must be like—the torture it must be—and when they could finally be together.

In her eyes was recognition.

"Spyro, what the heck is going on?" she asked as she got up and headed over to him. Her voice was still rather shaky, and she was having a hard time walking as her legs shook.

"Please, _please_ tell me we're in a nightmare! Please tell me that this isn't real... Please tell me that I...I didn't..."

Spyro frowned, unable to say anything as Cynder walked up to him with pleading eyes. All he could do was give the dragoness a hug. Cynder almost collapsed in his arms. Spyro's worst fear had been realized.

Cynder had consciously gone through reliving her experiences as the 'Terror of the Skies'.

Cynder said nothing as she held onto Spyro, shaking badly as she closed her eyes. Spyro wrapped his wings around her. The experience had been traumatizing when it happened to her before, so he couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to go through it a second time. Spyro closed his eyes as he rested his head on hers.

He knew now, more than ever, he _needed_ to find a way to break these loops...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of minor mood whiplash at the end there. Sorry if it didn't seem too emotional... I'm not all that great at writing emotional scenes. That's why I mainly do comedy and action. lol
> 
> Anyways, looks like the Spyro's and Sparx' aren't the only ones in these loops anymore. Wonder how that'll effect things in the "future" so to speak? For now though, it seems both Spyro's have two very different approaches when it comes to these loops...
> 
> Anyways, it's time for the loop names.
> 
> Classic Loops:
> 
> 1.4: Spyro used Bubble beam! It's super effective!
> 
> 1.5: Ember the Dragoness.
> 
> 1.6: Ripto the Raptor: Spyro's Rage.
> 
> Legends Loops:
> 
> 1.4: LAS: Loop Assisted Speedrun.
> 
> 1.5: Loops have that effect on people.
> 
> 1.6: Worst fear realized...)


	3. Escaping Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments at the end of the chapter.

**Classic Loop 1.7**

Spyro was proud of himself. He had no idea how many loops in he was at this point, and even though he had attempted this several times in the past, never once did he actually think he'd pull _this_ off.

It had taken several loops hanging out with two of his greatest enemies, getting to know the quickest way to get them to _not_ attempt to smash, blast, or kill him on sight, and even then he had to figure out the correct way to word things not to tick either of them off... But in the end, it was _so worth it_.

"So, _how_ many loops have you done again?"

Spyro glanced over to Hunter. It hadn't been long before the cheetah had started to occasionally loop with him, a fact that Spyro was rather happy about. It was nice to finally have someone _other_ than just Sparx to talk to for a change. Admittedly, he still had to check out if Ember really was looping too, but he wasn't exactly in _too_ much of a hurry with that.

"Don't know. Lost count after four hundred."

Had it really been that many times? Felt like it, at least.

"Four hundred!?" Hunter exclaimed, jaw nearly falling off as he stared wide-eyed at Spyro. "What have you been doing all this time!?"

Spyro paused, looking up as he thought.

"Well, the first few times around, I mostly stuck to how things went on my adventures the first time. When that started to get boring, I started to take some 'shortcuts' to make things go by quicker. When that got boring, I started bringing stuff with me through the loops to mess around with some of the more annoying baddies," Spyro said before he glanced at Hunter.

"When _that_ started losing its charm, I started to see what it would be like going through each loop with a different element. Eventually got enough of that too, and now...here we are."

Spyro glanced down at the chaos below. Ripto had teleported out of the way as a mighty club slammed into the ground. Gnasty growled as Ripto reappeared in a flash of light.

"You short freak! How dare you call me ugly!"

"How dare you call me short! You _pig-faced moron!_ "

Sparx watched in amusement as he held out a bag of popcorn towards Spyro. _"Popcorn?"_

Spyro took the bag and started to munch on some popcorn. The ground shook as fireballs and magic blasts flew everywhere. The whole thing had started through a bet with Sparx over who was the stronger villain. Spyro's bet was on Ripto. He may have been scrawny, but his magic packed a punch.

Passing the popcorn to Hunter, Spyro began to think. So far, for the loops where he actually _was_ himself, for the most part he had been following his adventures with a few twists. However, having spent the last few loops trying to get _this_ insanity set up, Spyro had learned a few things.

Even if he skipped out on a few of his adventures, the loop would end around the same time he would have beaten the Sorcerer in the 'main timeline', as he called it. There was no real punishment to dying, either, as he would just wake up with Gnasty turning the dragons to stone again... Though, the less said about how he had found _that_ out, the better. Having grown bored of repeating his adventures, he began to wonder...

_'What kind of crazy stuff can I pull that I normally couldn't?"_

* * *

**Legends Loop 1.7:**

Cynder didn't know if she was being punished for her sins, but it certainly _felt_ like it.

Five times now.

Five times, not counting when she had originally been through this nightmare. Five times she'd had to relive her actions as the Terror of the Skies.

The worst part was that she could do nothing about it, either. At least for the loops so far she had been conscious for, at the end she had managed to resist Malefor's control when he attempted to turn her evil again... But from now up until when Spyro rescued her from Convexity, she had no choice but to watch her body commit these terrible acts over and over again.

It was maddening. She hadn't even been able to speak for all the loops she had been conscious for so far. Even with Spyro's reassurance, it did little to help.

The first time it had happened, she refused to leave the temple. Even when Malefor had called for her to head for the Well of Souls, she'd refused to leave. Spyro had been by her side the entire time as the guardians prepared for Malefor's eventual escape. It had been interesting to see what the three years had been like when they weren't frozen for a change, with Spyro being a driving force in the war against him. Surprisingly, though, from what Spyro had said, in the end things didn't change much.

The second time, she was still badly shaken from it. Once again resisting Malefor's call, this time around she had at least managed to pull herself together enough to assist Spyro on the battlefield, but as always the end was the same. Failing to stop the Destroyer, the ancestors dragging Malefor off to whatever hell-hole he deserved, and Spyro pulling the world back together. From what he had said, he'd actually become quite good at it.

In the third loop, though, Cynder had learned of just how many times Spyro had 'looped' compared to her. From what he'd said at the time, he was on his three hundred and fifty-something loop. The thought made Cynder's blood run cold. She knew this curse was obviously because of her...because of what she'd done.

Why on earth did Spyro have to suffer because of her? It wasn't fair. He had done nothing wrong.

From the fourth loop onward, Spyro and her had come to an agreement that she wasn't so sure of at first. Even when she was aware of what was going on, she would still 'go through the motions' of the events leading up to the Night of Eternal Darkness. Though it sounded odd, they had both agreed spending three years as a popsicle was better than spending three years fighting pointless battles. Plus, it helped that Spyro had already done it so many times now that he could avoid getting thrown into the Convexity beam, which would forcefully turn him into his dark form.

Cynder glanced down. A chain was placed around her neck and she was being suspended over the focal point for the Convexity beam that had turned her into the Terror of the Skies. Looking up with a disdainful glare, she saw Gaul beginning to initiate the ritual.

"Soon, my subjects! Soon, great power will be ours!"

Cynder huffed. If only this idiot knew...

This was how every loop where she was 'awake' started for her. Moments before she became _that_ and had to relive her sins over again. The first time, she had freaked out as much, if not greater than when it had 'actually' happened to her. The second and third, she had struggled to escape, but to no avail.

However, in the last loop she had been awake for, she had learned a rather interesting fact from Spyro.

Gaul smirked, turning to his subjects.

"Now, my subjects! The new era begins no—!"

Though Gaul's voice usually carried confidence to it at this part, his voice fell flat as he saw the sight that was in front of him. Or rather, the sight that _wasn't_ in front of him. Where Cynder was normally supposed to be, all that was there were a pair of chains hanging limp.

Gaul paused, looking around as his eyes narrowed. Where the heck had that little brat—?

Gaul gasped as a sharp object pierced through his chest, right through his heart. As it pulled out and caused him to cough up blood, the mighty ape king fell to the ground.

Cynder shook the blood off her tail. At least she didn't have to worry about going through that horrid process of having the metal blade casted onto her tail. Despite still being in extreme danger, she couldn't help but smirk at the act of vengeance.

Just like Spyro had said. Even though she had yet to be touched by the darkness in this loop, she still had her elements from the previous loops. Namely, her shadow element.

Glancing back down, she saw the apes looking up in shock. She narrowed her eyes before bolting towards the door. She could hear them scream in rage as she ran down the corridor, but she didn't care.

Even if this attempt to escape fell flat on its face, and even if she ended up dying because of it...at least for this loop, she would _not_ spend it being Malefor's pawn.

* * *

**Classic loop 1.8:**

Spyro chuckled to himself. So far this loop had been pretty standard. Outside of a few _minor_ changes to speed up his first few adventures—and some minor messing with his friend's heads for his own amusement—he had followed his adventures to a T to this point. Sparx buzzed by his head, giving the dragon a pleading look.

 _"C'mon, Spyro! Can you_ please _tell me what you have planned for this loop? Because, so far, it's been pretty standard."_

Spyro smirked. He _still_ had no idea what he had been thinking when he came up with this idea. Turning to Sparx, he gave him a sly look. "Like I said, Sparx... Either this is going to be hilarious, or it'll make this loop a living nightmare for me."

_"You've been saying that this entire loop! Please, give me something a bit more to go on!"_

Spyro looked ahead of him. He was just beginning his adventure where he took down Red, and coming into sight was _that_ dark gem. Spyro felt a bit of anxiety at the sight. He was starting to have second thoughts. He had learned all too quickly that trying to _'forcefully'_ reset a loop when one of his pranks backfired on him was a very, _very_ bad idea.

Spyro shuddered, memories of that tall, no-faced freak in the suit forever burned into his brain. Despite going several loops without seeing it again, he _still_ felt like it was watching him...

Spyro shook his head. Regardless of how he felt now, he was already here. He had made a commitment early on in the loop to not back down on this part. Spyro sighed. He _really_ hoped this wouldn't backfire on him.

"Spyro!"

As if on cue, Ember was heading his way. In order for this to work, Spyro had to listen to Ember go on about her not-so-secret crush on him. It was a bit annoying, but from it Spyro had managed to figure out that, so far, having said what she usually said word-for-word at this point, he could tell Ember wasn't awake for this loop.

He still believed Sparx had just been messing with him when he'd said Ember was looping too, having yet to see a loop where she was aware they were in a time warp. Sparx still swore that she was, though, and to his credit, Spyro rarely ever followed the parts where he encountered Ember on his adventures.

Tuning back into reality, he saw the sly look on her face. He knew what was coming next. Spyro braced himself. In order for this to work, he needed to keep a straight face and _not_ gag. Good thing he'd had all the time in the world to practice it.

"...I know you really like me."

Spyro smirked. _'Here goes nothing...'_

"Was it really that obvious?"

Sparx nearly fell out of the air when he heard Spyro utter those words. Ember's eyes went wide in shock as she placed her paw in front of her mouth. "R-really...!?"

It took every bit of willpower Spyro had to keep a straight face. He honestly wasn't sure how he was doing it, but _somehow_ he hadn't choked on his words yet.

"Oh, yes! Ember, enough of this game! I've loved you ever since I first set eyes on your radiant pink scales!" Spyro proclaimed in the hammiest fashion he could muster before running and grabbing the dragoness in a great big hug.

Sparx's mouth nearly fell to the ground as his eyes went wide. Had these loops finally caused Spyro to lose it?

Ember seemed rather confused by Spyro's sudden affection. She had always dreamed of this, but never thought it would actually happen. She went to speak, but Spyro cut her off. "Oh, Ember my love! Marry me! We'll have the happiest life together!"

"M-marry!? B-b-but we're still kids!"

"It doesn't matter! Our love can overcome that!" Spyro said, somehow becoming even hammier as he said these words. He honestly had no idea _how the heck_ he was keeping a straight face at this point, but he was too far in to back down now.

Ember let out a slight 'eek' as Spyro hugged her tighter. She gulped, giving a sheepish grin at the overly big smile on Spyro's face. "U-uh, maybe we can start out a bit slower...?"

"But, Ember, my dear! My love burns for you with the passion of a thousand burning suns!" Spyro said, his eyes wide as he gazed at Ember.

Ember looked at Spyro's somehow overly wide eyes, fear flickering across her face at the uncanny feeling it was giving her. She gulped, glancing away as she cleared her throat. "H-huh? Oh, yes! I think I hear my mom calling! She wanted me to be back soon!"

"But _Embeeeeeeeeeeee—!_ "

"So-sorry, Spyro! But my mom really needs me! I need to help iron the plants _talk to you later bye!_ "

Spyro watched as Ember struggled out of his grasp and took off like a rocket. Spyro took a few seconds to make sure Ember was far out of earshot before he started to chuckle as the creepily happy face he wore finally started to give way.

Finally, he busted up laughing as he fell back, rolling on the ground. As he glanced up at Sparx, the completely dumbfounded look on his face caused Spyro to laugh even harder as tears came to his eyes, pointing at Sparx as he fell onto his stomach.

Finally catching onto Spyro's trick, Sparx shook his head before he shot Spyro a glare.

 _"Uh, sorry, but... Exactly_ whose _head are you trying to mess with here?"_

Spyro wiped away tears from his eyes as he tried to subdue his laughter, glancing at Sparx with a smirk. "Sorry, Sparx. You should have seen the look on your face, though!"

Sparx sighed, glancing down before he looked back up at Spyro. _"So, exactly what possessed you to do that?"_

Spyro rolled over with a bemused expression, resting on his back while he still had fits of chuckling. "Well, you know how Ember's always bugging me to get me to like her? Well, for this loop, I decided to grant her wish and then some."

Spyro laughed before he rolled over and looked at Sparx again. "Judging from her reaction, I get the feeling I'm not going to have to worry about her for the rest of this loop."

Sparx's face went flat as Spyro continued to chuckle to himself. Clearly Spyro had no understanding of the meaning of 'double standards.'

* * *

**Legends loop 1.8:**

Once again, he was back at the swamp. Spyro groaned as he laid on the ground, looking up at the stars. By this point, he wasn't even trying to _guess_ how many loops he'd been through. If it wasn't for the fact that repetition and getting to practice his abilities in the meantime made doing this over and over again much easier as time went on, he probably would have lost it by now.

Spyro gazed at the stars. He wasn't supposed to be out here at this time of night, and Flash and Nina would likely give him an earful for it, but he didn't really care. He had fought Malefor countless times at this point. He was pretty confident he could easily handle whatever the swamp could throw at him.

Spyro had pretty much tried everything he could think of to try to break these loops. Proving to the Guardians that he had done this countless times now by predicting everything that would happen with shocking accuracy, he felt disheartened that, even when he had told them early on, even in the years before Malefor tried to destroy the world, they could come up with no answers or any way out of this.

Then he had tried the Chronicler. Even when he had forced a way open to the White Isle—a trick he had picked up in his many loops—despite being what was basically a 'Time Dragon', even the Chronicler had no answers for what was going on, either. Spyro closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Then... That was when he had started to become desperate. In one of the loops, he had even asked Malefor himself if he knew what was going on, if he was the one who had cursed him to repeat these events forever. Predictably, though, he wasn't exactly that helpful.

 _'Well, Spyro... I_ may _be able to break what you're going through... If you accept your destiny as a purple dragon and destroy the planet."_

Those words still rung out in his mind despite it being several loops back. Like there was any chance he would ever accept _that_ offer. Even if Malefor really could break this cycle they were trapped in, being stuck in a never-ending war was still better than whatever personal hell Malefor would turn their world into.

Spyro gazed back up to the stars. It looked like he was going to have to figure out how to fix this on his own.

_'If only Cynder hadn't got caught up in this too...'_

That was what terrified him the most, really. Cynder being tortured by having to live through that nightmare, and not being able to do a damn thing to stop it. Spyro rolled onto his side as he closed his eyes. He knew he needed to figure out how to break this endless nightmare before her psyche was permanently shattered, but it only served to frustrate him even more as he had no idea where to even begin.

Cynder... The thought of his loved one caused him extreme worry. He had noticed a new, alarming trend with these loops where Cynder seemed to be completely absent from them. Without her being the Dark Master's commander against her will, new creatures ended up taking her place to keep the loop stable. For the most part, it was usually Gaul himself that ended up becoming 'The King of Terror', as he was referred to in those loops. Needless to say, unlike Cynder, Spyro didn't even bother trying to save him from Convexity when he got to that point.

Why this kept happening, though, really worried him. He hoped they were nothing more than 'variation' loops and _not_ the 'extreme' measures he was fearing Cynder would do to escape being the Terror of the Skies each time she woke up in these loops. He had tried asking her about it in one fairly standard loop where she was awake, but predictably she still said nothing like most loops she was awake for.

However, one question she had asked still had Spyro rather confused. For whatever reason, Cynder wanted to see the place he grew up at before he was dragged into the war. Though he had no idea why, he was more than happy to show her if it meant getting her mind off things for even a little bit. Thankfully, Flash and Nina never really did keep up with the outside world all that much. Even with the massive war going on, they had no idea of the acts Cynder had been forced to perform against her will.

Spyro rolled onto his back again to gaze at the stars. At least the loops were generous enough to give him about a year before the apes would invade his swamp and he'd have to do his quest once again.

It was then Spyro heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. He sighed. Probably another Frogweed. They were easy enough to deal with, but those annoying pests were all over the damn place in the swamp. Spyro sighed, getting to his feet as he got ready to deal with this thing so he could go back to resting. What he saw step out of the bushes, though, nearly caused him to fall backwards in shock.

Her body was badly brushed. She had several cuts and gashes along her form. On her tail was some dried blood-stains, and she was panting from exhaustion. Nonetheless, those same emerald eyes had a spark to them as she looked at him, a smile on her face as a tear started to well up in her eye. Spyro was almost speechless, but managed to say one word.

"C-Cyn—!"

Spyro was stopped mid-word as Cynder ran forward, throwing her forelegs around him in a hug. She had done it. After the countless times she had tried, the countless apes she'd had to fight, having to relive being the Terror of the Skies for yet one last loop, and the countless times she had been so close to escape, only to have it yanked away at the last second...she had finally done it.

Cynder glanced up at Spyro, who was still shocked to see her in front of him. She smiled, resting her head on his chest. Spyro wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure if the loops had taken pity on him for a change and decided to offer this variation as a way to help him get through this. Regardless, Spyro gave a soft smile as he hugged her back.

He wasn't sure how this had happened, but at least for this loop, they would face whatever was thrown at them from the very beginning...together.

* * *

**Classic Loop 1.9:**

Spyro smirked as he ran through the temple that would lead him to his encounter with Ripto. Sparx was glancing back wide-eyed as he gritted his teeth in terror. He had no idea what Spyro was thinking, or even _how_ he had managed to pull this off, but all he knew was he was now running for his life.

Spyro laughed. When he had told Hunter of his plan for this loop, though he'd thought it'd be hilarious, the cheetah had decided to sit back from the sidelines to watch. Shame. This run was actually pretty exciting.

As Spyro ran through the dark void and appeared in the arena where he would end up fighting Ripto—he _still_ had no idea how that worked—he smirked.

"So, dragon! This is— _hey!_ "

Ripto growled as Spyro ran past him without even acknowledging his existence. Watching as the dragon pulled out some sort of mini-UFO from some kind of hammerspace, Ripto growled as Spyro jumped on it and flew off into the air.

"Hey! No fair!"

Ripto watched as Spyro circled around the arena in the aircraft. Though rather annoyed, Ripto would not let him know that. "Oh, I get it! You can't take me on by yourself, so you have to cheat! Well, dragon, _two_ can play...at...this...?"

Ripto paused as he felt the ground starting to shake. Raising an eyebrow, he looked back. His mouth promptly dropped as his eyes went wide.

Not a second later, him and his mechanical replica of Gulp were trampled under a massive wave of angry sheep.

* * *

**Legends loop 1.9:**

Spyro watched from the sidelines as the Stone Sentinel brought its fist down in a mighty slam. Spyro had fought this guy many times in the loops he had been in so far, and despite being revered as a god, he was actually one of the easier enemies for Spyro to fight now. Of course, that meant nothing if he wasn't the actual one fighting it.

Cynder flew in the air as she circled around the stone creature. Opening her maw, she let out a high-pitched shriek that caused the Stone Sentinel to freeze for a few seconds.

It had been quite a few loops since Cynder had managed to figure out a way to escape her 'coronation' as the Terror of the Skies. It wasn't _always_ perfect, granted. There were a few loops where the apes had managed to pull a fast one on her before she could escape, but she was slowly starting to see the patterns in their attempts to stop her. At the very least, when she finally got to Spyro, she wasn't anywhere near as beat up as she had been on the first loop she had managed to pull it off.

Currently, they were on the 'King of Terror' loop, as they referred to it. Without Cynder, provided she didn't take out any 'percussive therapy' on him, Gaul would usually end up filling her role to keep the loop stable. Maybe it was because Malefor was angry at him letting her escape. He couldn't really be too sure, though.

From then on, for the loops she was awake for, Cynder usually accompanied Spyro on his adventures. The year they'd had before they'd had to leave the swamp had been a really nice addition, too.

Flash and Nina were usually rather accepting of the new dragoness, though they had some questions about where exactly she came from. It took them a couple of loops to come up with a reasonable explanation that didn't alert them of the war going on. They also couldn't be _too_ affectionate with each other, less they risk getting 'the talk' from Spyro's parents—a fact Sparx was _never_ going to let them live down, much to their annoyance. _Why_ did he have to be awake for that loop?—but compared to how things usually went in these loops...it was the closest thing to a break they could get.

Spyro wished he had figured something out to save her sooner, as reliving being the Terror of the Skies six times had obviously taken its toll on her. Even after a few loops like thus, she was only slowly starting to speak again. It wasn't much, just a few short sentences before she would end the conversation...but at least it was a start.

Besides, she had recently surprised him when she'd asked if she could fight this thing for a change. For the most part, she usually just hung back to see what it was like for 'his side of the story', only stepping in when she felt like he was in serious danger. Which, given how many times he'd done all this, wasn't very often. Not that he minded much. Just having her by his side and _not_ being forced to watch her commit those acts as the Terror of the Skies against her will was enough for him.

Spyro watched as Cynder disappeared into her shadow, the Sentinel punching the ground where she once was. Confused, the giant stone golem looked around. Not a second later, Cynder jumped out of his shadow and flew up, summoning a mighty gust of wind that sent the golem toppling and breaking into several pieces.

Spyro walked up to her as she landed back on the ground. "Not bad."

Cynder smiled, causing Spyro to smile in return. About now, Kane should be coming to begrudgingly congratulate them. Considering she did most of the work this time around, it was going to be interesting to see how Cynder would react to the offer of being worshipped as a hero. Spyro had always rejected the offer himself, despite the many loops, as he didn't like the idea of being worshipped in general.

Spyro paused as he glanced at the entrance to the arena. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. Noticing that Cynder was looking at him, Spyro shook his head.

"That's odd... Kane should be here by now," Spyro muttered. Looking around, it was only then he realized a certain other member of their time-looping escapades was missing from their group. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes. "Where's Sparx...?"

* * *

Spyro looked on with his mouth agape and eyes wide in either shock or horror. Cynder's eyes were wide as well, but other than that she managed to keep her composure a bit better than Spyro.

They were currently in the Atlawa's village. Normally, that would have been no cause for alarm. However, as the Atlawa's bowed up and down before a recently created throne in the middle of the village, it took Spyro several seconds to believe what his eyes were seeing.

_"All hail Sparx! All hail Sparx! All hail Sparx!"_

Sparx rested his hands behind his head. It had taken him several hundred loops, a lot of careful and clever wordplay, making sure he could do this while his brother and Cynder were too busy to stop him, and a _whole_ mess of wires, but in the end it was worth it.

It was _good_ to be the deity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed from the tags I put up, there tends to be quite a bit of mood whiplash between the classic and legends loops, what with the legends characters approaching this rather realistically and having to find way around the darker parts of the series, while the classic characters are all 'let's mess with everyone we know! :D'. Don't worry though, things in the legends part should get a bit less serious once they finally figure out what's going on.
> 
> Also, Cynder being transformed a year before the plot to aNB. Honestly, that was just a general guess based off the cut scenes that showed her being relatively close to her age in the series proper when it happened. I forget what game it was in exactly, I want to say tEN when the Chronicler is showing Spyro those books that record a dragons life since birth, but I do know there was a scene in the series at some point that showed Gaul transforming Cynder, and she appeared to be close to her actual age aNB and tEN.
> 
> Also, if you could tell, I'm trying to keep these in a 'three legends loops, three classic loops' format. There will be exceptions for when I feel like one loop has gone on for way too long, but generally this is how things are going to go. Anyways, loop titles:
> 
> Classic Loops:
> 
> 1.7: Title match! Gnasty VS Ripto!
> 
> 1.8: Totally not reverse psychology. Nope. Not that at all.
> 
> 1.9: Me thinks Spyro's been playing too much LoZ.
> 
> Legends Loops:
> 
> 1.7: A dish best served cold.
> 
> 1.8: "Together"
> 
> 1.9: All hail Sparx! God of Snark!


	4. Welcome to the Multiverse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The character of Jenny Everywhere is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Jenny Everywhere, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed." - Steven Wintle, Jenny Everywhere's creator.
> 
> Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx.

**Legends Loop 2.0:**

Another day, another loop.

Once again he was in the swamp. As had become routine whenever she was awake, Cynder would escape just before she was turned into the Terror of the Skies and make a beeline for their home. She was getting quite good at it at this point. The last few loops, she'd barely had any scratches on her.

In a sense, though Spyro had originally hoped she wouldn't get dragged into this, he was kind of happy she was there with him. These loops had given her a second chance. A chance to live without people seeing her as nothing but the Terror of the Skies. Even though she'd had to relive that horrible experience several times, in the process she had figured out a way to escape her original fate.

"So, Spyro... Today's when the apes invade the swamp, right?"

Spyro glanced over to Cynder, who was walking by his side. Through the past few loops, Cynder had slowly started to become a bit more talkative again. It still wasn't much, but at least she was speaking up without being spoken to first. Though, understandably, she still didn't want to talk about her first few loops.

"Yep. Provided some sort of variation in the loop doesn't take place," Spyro said, looking ahead.

Sparx rested between Spyro's horns, having learned from experience that this was usually the safest place, and the one least likely to get him caught by the apes. "Still say we should mess with them a bit before you take care of them. Considering you can take these guys down now with almost zero effort, I don't see what the big deal is..."

"Sparx, our parents are in danger as long as they're here. We can't afford to take any risk."

Sparx pouted, crossing his arms. Despite being who _knows_ how many loops in, outside of having his girlfriend with him from the start, Spyro didn't really approve of almost _any_ alterations. The 'King of Darkness' loop was often the loop he preferred the most, since it was the one that was the closest to the main timeline without putting Cynder through all the strife she had originally experienced. It wouldn't have bugged Sparx as much if it wasn't for Spyro's reasoning behind it, though.

 _'"What if we cause some major alteration for the worse, and the loop decides to break?"'_ Sparx thought in a mocking voice. _'News flash, bro. If it hasn't broken yet, I doubt it's going to break any time soon.'_

Regardless, Sparx knew there was almost no reasoning with Spyro on the subject, having tried _many_ times only to be met with the same response. He sighed as he laid back on his brother's head. _'Spyro, you_ really _need to stop being such a stick in the mud...'_

It wasn't long before they made it to the grove where they would encounter the apes. Spyro stretched a bit. Based on past experiences, _especially_ with Cynder at his side, this wasn't going to take long at all. As they approached the grove, though, he raised his head.

He could hear the apes screeching already, and the sounds of a struggle going on. From the sound of things, though, it sounded like they were on the losing side of whatever was going on. Both dragons picked up the pace as curiosity consumed them. As they ran down the path where they'd normally encounter the apes, they were met with an odd sight.

There stood an odd bipedal creature wielding a staff. She had a pair of goggles atop her head and short dark hair. She was wearing a scarf around her neck, a green tank top with blue jeans, and a pair of white and blue shoes, which surprisingly weren't all that muddy despite the swampy ground.

Spyro and Cynder looked on in confusion. They had never seen a creature like this before, but whoever she was, she was easily keeping step with the apes. It looked as though they hadn't even managed to land a single blow on her yet.

The being smirked as an ape charged at her, jumping in the air and landing on his head, kicking him into the mud as she collided with a group of them.

Cynder glanced at Spyro, moderately concerned. "We should help her."

Spyro looked at Cynder. He knew she was right, but as he glanced back at the being in the middle of the battle, she didn't look like she was in any danger. In fact, it almost looked like she had a playful smile on her face as the apes got closer.

The being smirked, raising her staff above her head. It appeared to be made of metal, the main pole being silver with a gold trim at each end. She stomped her foot on the ground and a gold incantation circle appeared under her.

"You know what to do, Traveller!"

As if on cue, three slots opened up along the trim of the top end of her staff, and three metal claws shot out to form a perfect circle.

"DETECTING TARGETS... HOSTILE ENTENTIES DETECTED. CHARGING."

The dragons and dragonfly were surprised by the sudden voice. Spyro had heard of rare artifacts that were capable of speech, but the voice that had just spoken sounded so cold and artificial. What exactly _was_ this thing?

A glowing orb started to appear between the claws as sparks started to flare around. Sparx floated off Spyro's head and in front of the two dragons, nervously glancing back. "Uh, guys? I'm not sure about you two, but I get the feeling we should hide behind something... Like, _now!_ "

Snapping back to reality, Spyro and Cynder quickly realized Sparx might have been onto something. Quickly jumping behind the nearby trees, they had just barely made it in time as the figure smirked.

"Shockwave!"

"DISPENSING PRODUCT!"

As the staff spoke, a magic wave shot out around the figure and slammed into the apes. They tumbled over themselves and dispersed into spirit gems. Spyro and Cynder braced themselves, Spyro having to hold onto Sparx as the wave hit them. Even behind cover, the wave of magic was surprisingly more powerful than they had expected, though they had endured worse on their countless loops.

"Not bad, Traveller," the figure said as the claws atop the staff retracted. Looking around, she wiped the sweat off her forehead as she eyed the spirit gems left behind. "So, creatures explode into crystals in this world when you beat them. Freaky."

Spyro and Cynder poked their heads out from behind the trees. Cynder glanced over to Spyro. "Have you seen this thing before in any of the loops?"

"Not that I can remember. You?"

"Why would I be asking you if I knew?"

The figure raised her eyebrows, having managed to catch Spyro and Cynder's whispers on the wind. Turning around, she managed to catch a glimpse of purple as the two dragons ducked behind the trees again. The figure paused before she smiled. "Yo! You that purple dragon I heard about?"

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, unsure if they should respond. The figure clearly wasn't with the apes, having fought them a few seconds ago, but they weren't sure exactly _what_ she was. In the few variation loops they had encountered, they had never seen a creature like this before, one that could create magic runes like that instantaneously.

The creature sighed, narrowing her eyes as she placed her hand on her head.

"I ain't gonna' hurt ya'. I was hired by some dragon named Ignitus to find 'the purple dragon of legend' in this swamp," she said before she glanced around at her surroundings. "Must say, though, rather odd place for what's basically the dragon version of the Avatar to end up in."

Spyro raised an eyebrow at hearing his mentor's name. He glanced over to Cynder, who seemed just as confused as him. Who was this thing? And what the heck was an 'Avatar'? Finally, with a nod, Spyro poked out from behind the tree, giving the figure a stern glance. "Who are you?"

The figure seemed a bit bothered by Spyro's hostile tone, but regardless managed to keep a straight face. Smiling, she placed her staff behind her head and rested both arms over it.

"Name's Jenny. Jenny Everywhere," she said, a smile on her face as she tilted her head. "And let me guess...you're this world's Anchor, right?"

Spyro raised an eyebrow as he kept a steady eye on this 'Jenny'. "Anchor...?"

"Yeah, Anchor. The one who's always conscious for the loops."

Spyro reeled back when he heard Jenny mention the loops. It shouldn't have surprised him, considering Sparx and Cynder were occasionally awake for the loops, but how did she know he was awake every time? He looked at Cynder and Sparx, both of whom exchanged confused glances. There were so many questions that had been risen because of this loop, and he wanted answers... Starting with the most obvious question.

"W-what's going on? What _are_ you?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? This world doesn't normally have humans in it?"

Judging from the blank expression on his face, she figured the answer was 'no.' She had suspected as much, considering the odd look that Ignitus dragon had given her.

"I take it this is your first fused loop, then. Well, then, let me be the first to welcome you all to the Multiverse!"

* * *

Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx looked on wide-eyed at the odd device in front of them. It was a small metal disk-like thing that Jenny had thrown down on the ground. It produced a hologram of what appeared to be a tree.

"So, this...Yggdrasil thing. It's what runs 'the Multiverse'?" Spyro asked, still having a hard time grasping the concept of alternate universes.

"More or less," Jenny said, sitting on a log. "Basically, each branch on the tree represents a different universe, with the trunk being the 'hub' universe. The branches could basically be considered different directions the hub universe could have taken."

Jenny looked on with an amused expression as Spyro and Cynder gave each other confused looks. She could have said it was basically a giant super computer, but judging from the aesthetics of this universe, the chances of computers existing here were probably extremely slim.

"And something happened to Yggdrasil, and that's why people keep getting a very bad case of déjà vu?" Sparx asked, scratching his head as he tried to wrap his brain around it.

"Yep. From what the admins said—they're the Gods who make sure everything is running smoothly with the Multiverse—whatever caused it was _quite_ the doozy. They're _still_ not sure what caused the mess up," Jenny said before she crossed her arms and bit her lip.

"Personally, though, if there's something out there that's so powerful that it can mess up the Multiverse so badly that the Gods have to put all the branches into time-loops to keep it stable while they make repairs, I'd rather not know about it myself."

"Uh, yeah. I'm with goggles on that one," Sparx stated, feeling a chill down his spine at the thought.

Spyro just looked on with a blank expression. This was a lot to take in, but so far it was the best lead they'd had on what was going on so far. He honestly wasn't sure what to think. At least if it had been a curse, they had the chance to break it and live relatively normal lives, but if what Jenny was saying was true, and the Gods themselves were having a hard time fixing things...

Spyro shook his head, pushing the thought of being powerless to the back of his mind. "Anyway, these 'Anchors'..."

"They're what's needed to keep the loops going," Jenny explained, cutting Spyro off. "If it weren't for them, who knows what would happen to their universe."

"And how did you know I was my world's 'Anchor'?"

Jenny tilted her head, a slight smirk on her face. "Oh, I dunno. Anchor needed to stabilize their universe, legendary dragon Avatar... Let's just say I put two and two together," she said in a slightly snarky tone. "Though, granted, nether Aang nor Korra are the anchors of their world, so..."

From what Jenny had explained, 'Avatars' were basically the human equivalent of a purple dragon, able to use the four primary elements from their world. Spyro still found it odd, though, that electricity was basically a sub-element of fire while air was its own element altogether.

"So, exactly how many more times are we going to be stuck in this loop? Because let me tell ya', after the five hundredth time you're awake for it, things get rather repetitive," Sparx said, crossing his arms.

Jenny merely chuckled at the dragonfly's comment, putting her hands behind her head. "Shoot, please. Five hundred loops ain't nothing. Come back to me when you've done around fifty thousand something of 'em, and _then_ you can tell me about how repetitive things get."

 _"Fifty thousand!?"_ Spyro and Sparx exclaimed in unison, reeling back from the incredible number.

Though Cynder said nothing, her eyes went wide as she let that sink in. Jenny just scratched her cheek as she looked up in response.

"Give or take," she said nonchalantly before looking back down at the group. "Granted, I'm one of the older loopers. Heck, I think Ranma, the first looper, is well past his one millionth loop by now."

The group stood silent with eyes wide. One million... One million loops someone had to go through. How the hell were they suppose to last that many loops!? They'd barely kept it together during all their loops so far!

"Th-that..." Spyro stuttered, his face still frozen in disbelief. He struggled to come up with something to respond with before finally his head dropped as his body went limp.

Jenny watched as Spyro fell to the ground, with Cynder and Sparx quickly going over to his side to comfort him. Jenny blinked. "I take it ya'll are looping during a bad time in your life?"

Sparx glanced over to Jenny, a flat expression on his face. "Lady, you don't even know the _half_ of it."

* * *

Jenny whistled as Sparx finished explaining how their original timeline went.

"Man, that's quite the troubled tale," she said, her voice rather inappropriately light compared to the rather dark story she had just been told. 'Troubled' was putting it lightly.

"And this one here was possessed for the first good part of it?" Jenny asked, glancing over to Cynder.

Seeing Cynder cringe slightly, Spyro glared at Jenny. "It wasn't her fault!"

"Woah, easy now!" Jenny said, placing her hand in front of her defensively. "I've been through enough loops now to know being brainwashed and crazy ain't fun for no one involved."

Spyro calmed down a bit hearing that Jenny wasn't going to hold that against Cynder, though he did notice that she was looking at Cynder curiously.

"So, I take it by the fact that she's here now and not tearing the world a new one, this is a variation loop?" Jenny narrowed her eyes nervously as Spyro glared at her, only realizing her poor word choice after she had spoken.

"No. Thankfully, Cynder's managed to figure out a way to escape her fate through these loops." If there was one thing Spyro was grateful for because of this mess, it was that.

Jenny smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, good for you!" she said enthusiastically. "It's always nice to hear of good people escaping bad fates because of these loops. About the only really good thing to come from these loops, really."

There was a pause, as neither side said anything. Finally, Jenny gave a sly smile as she narrowed her eyes. "So, what kind of crazy shenanigans have ya'll been up to during these loops?"

Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other over the question, though Sparx was quick to voice his complaints. "Not much, thanks to my brother here! Other than having his girlfriend along for the ride, he seems dead set on putting himself through hell time and time again!"

"Sparx!"

Jenny scratched her head. "Wait, you mean to tell me you've mostly been following the same pattern for the past hundreds of loops?"

Spyro glanced at Jenny, a confused look on his face. "Well...yeah. I mean, what if the loop breaks?"

Jenny narrowed her eyes before she tilted her head. "Hoo boy. Sounds like you have a bad case of Setsuna syndrome there."

"Setsuna syndrome?"

Jenny shook her head before she reached up into the air and her hand disappeared through a small wormhole that opened up. Seeing the group's confused and amazed reactions as she pulled out a piece of paper from it, she chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'll teach ya'll about pocket space soon enough," she said with a smile before she looked down at the paper.

"Anyway, ahem, Setsuna Syndrome: 'A thankfully rare state of mind where the individual is convinced that a specific sequence of events will 'cure' what is wrong with the universe and makes efforts to railroad those events into place. Effectively the opposite of Sakura Syndrome in a sense, and a mindset loopers tend to abandon once informed about the nature of the loops by their local admin or another more experienced looper. As such, this condition is generally attributed to local Loop Aware entities with 'preservation of the timeline' on their agenda and a hefty dislike for the derailing shenanigans that loopers often get up to. Named for Setsuna Meiou, aka Sailor Pluto, from the 'Sailor Moon' universe, who is one of the earliest recurring examples of this mindset.'"

The group was silent at Jenny's lengthy explanation. Finally, crossing his arms, Sparx said what they were all thinking. "In English, please."

Jenny sighed, placing her hand on her head. "Basically, the way ya'll did things the first time isn't always the best way. I mean, Cyndy here managing to escape her fate is already infinitely better than her ending up brainwashed and crazy, right?"

"Of course!" Spyro said, jumping up with a stern look.

"Then calm down a little, then. I'm sure the admins will warn everyone before they hit the play button on the Multiverse again. Ya'll don't have to do the same darn thing _every_ loop!" Jenny said with a smile. "Frankly, I'm surprised ya'll managed to last this long without going stir crazy from monotony."

"See! I told you!" Sparx said, floating in front of Spyro and pointing his finger at him. "I told you we didn't have to do the same thing every loop!" Sparx grinned before he flew into the air. "Oooh, I have so many things I've wanted to do! Let's see how much of a chatter box 'ol Volteer is when I slip some spider-webbing into his food..."

"Woah, hold up there, bug boy!" Jenny said, sitting up and narrowing her eyes at him. "Prankin's all fine and dandy there, but make sure ya'll don't go developing Sakura Syndrome there!"

"'Sakura Syndrome'? The heck's that?" Sparx said, turning around and looking down at Jenny.

Jenny sighed. Reaching into her pocket space, she pulled out another paper.

"Ahem. Sakura Syndrome: 'A rare state of mind where a looper is convinced that none of their actions will have any consequences past the current loop, including interactions with other loopers, combined with a general disregard for restrictions or laws, of morality or otherwise. This can lead to traumatic experiences for those interacting with them, especially the loopers who have to remember it. Named for Sakura Haruno from the 'Naruto' universe, who is the biggest example of this state of mind.'"

Once again, the group went silent. Sparx pointed his finger at Jenny. "Let me get this straight... Do you just carry around papers explaining every little obscure disorder or something?"

Jenny frowned, placing a hand on her head.

"Let's just say that, due to my rather _unique_ situation as a looper, I tend to visit a lot of worlds who are still new to this," she said in a slightly sheepish tone.

"Anyway, what I'm basically saying is, a few pranks are fine every now and then to help keep ya'll sane, but don't overdo it. You do _not_ want to end up like Sakura," she said, crossing her arms and shivering slightly. "I've met her a few times in my travels, and let me tell you, that girl's become nuttier than all the nuts on Yggdrasil combined!"

Another silence followed as the group looked amongst themselves, though Sparx crossed his arms again. "So... What exactly are we supposed to do, then?"

Jenny paused before she looked up at the sky. "Well, the way I see it... So long as no one's in any serious danger or harm, a few pranks to break things up isn't bad. Just don't cause a Borg outbreak like I heard Sakura did that one loop, and ya'll should be fine."

Jenny smiled as she looked back down at the group. The confused looks on their faces made her sure she wouldn't have to worry about them doing such a thing. She got up and stretched, picking up her staff.

"Anyways, considering you've been fightin' this Malefor guy for so many loops, why don't ya'll take a break? I'll go tell Ignitus that, sadly, there are no dragons here," she said, putting her staff behind her neck and resting her arms on it.

"B-but, what about the war? The world breaking apart?" Spyro asked, getting up defiantly.

"Just leave that to me," Jenny said, giving a confident wink. "Me and this here Intelligent Device have been through a fair share of apocalyptic wars through these loops." Jenny smirked, twirling the device before stamping it into the ground. "By the way, if you encounter Nanoha in any loop, you should totally pick one of these bad boys up. She always has a few spares on her for anyone who wants one, and I heard they've actually fitted a few specifically for dragons after they met Toothless."

Spyro shook his head. He had no idea what these 'Intelligent Devices' were, or who this Toothless dragon was. All he was focused on was how willing Jenny seemed to be to go off into war, a fact Spyro had only accepted because he'd heard how desperate things were, and he was the only one who could possibly turn the tides.

"A-are you sure? I mean, I saw you take down those apes, bu—"

"No buts," Jenny said, giving the dragon a stern glare. "It'll be a new experience for me considering this is my first time in this loop, which, _trust me_ , is a _very_ rare thing these days. Besides, I'm actually _much_ stronger than I look," she said, holding up her left arm, which had three bracelets on it.

"Um...nice bling?" Sparx asked, rubbing his head.

Jenny smirked. "They're power limiters, bug boy. Trust me, after enough loops, you're going to want a pair of these soon enough to make battles _actually challenging_ again."

"When I take these puppies off, I can give a non-loopin' Frieza a run for his money. Who, in case you didn't know, destroys planets as a _hobby_ ," she said with a rather smug smile, though it quickly disappeared. "Though, I still can't hold a candle to Nanoha. Girl has ten of these darn things on each arm, and _still_ causes loop crashes with that 'Starlight Breaker' of hers..."

Spyro looked at Cynder, who had a rather curious look on her face. Spyro paused before he looked at Sparx, who was practically _begging_ with the expression on his face. Spyro hesitated before he looked at Jenny. "I-I guess if you don't mind."

Jenny snapped her fingers, a wide grin on her face. "Ain't no trouble at all! Just leave everything to Everywhere!"

With that, Jenny darted off out of the swamp. Spyro sat down. This loop had been rather... _interesting_ so far. They finally knew what was going on, at least. Spyro still wasn't sure what to think about this mess, and now other universes were getting involved. Or rather, _they_ were getting involved with other universes.

Spyro shook his head. This was all so confusing...

Looking over to Cynder, he saw a slight smile on her face and smiled in return. Sparx had already darted off back home, practically doing loop-the-loops as he flew.

Now that he thought about it, a vacation from the war _did_ sound pretty good right about now.

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.0:**

Some loops were weirder than others.

Spyro already had a good idea of the fact that there were other universes out there, and that occasionally loops would fuse together for whatever reason...

But seeing his best friend as a miniature Pegasus was still weird.

Sparx smirked, still glancing over his yellow-furred body. His mane and tail were short and a silver-ish grey, with two tuffs of his mane at the front sticking straight up like his antennas used to. Sparx glanced over to Spyro. "I don't know about you, but so far I'm liking this loop."

"Easy for you to say. You weren't turned into a baby."

Spyro frowned, barely coming up to Sparx's knees as he walked on all fours. At least he could somehow still talk, but being a baby once was already enough for him. The fact that his appearance had got him tackle-hugged by a pegasus earlier that day hadn't helped, either. He was supposed to be one of the Dragon Realm's greatest heroes! A totally awesome dragon all around! _He was not supposed to be cute!_

Spyro sighed as he looked around the library that was in this hollowed-out tree. There were more multicolored miniature horses everywhere. For whatever reason, a pink one that somehow seemed to be even _more_ hyper than Agent 9 on a sugar rush had insisted on giving them a 'Welcome to our loop!' party. Spyro shook his head. He didn't mind parties, but considering only three people—sorry, _ponies_ _—_ were aware they were looping, he didn't see much of a point, as it only served to confuse most of the non-looping ponies who were there.

"So, how ya'll likin' our loop so far?"

Spyro and Sparx turned around to see Applejack, a brownish-yellow pony with straw-yellow hair in a cowboy hat, standing there.

"Pretty good so far. Took a bit of getting used to with this new body, but I love the fact that other people besides Spyro can understand what I'm saying for a change," Sparx said with a big grin, sitting down.

Spyro still had a flat expression on his face. "Other than being de-aged to a baby, I guess it's been alright so far."

AJ chuckled, giving a wink. "Sorry 'bout that. I'd get RD to age ya'll up, but any dragons older than ah baby tend to cause quite the panic in Ponyville."

Spyro narrowed his eyes before he glanced at the rainbow-maned pegasus in the background. Rainbow Dash had been the first one to welcome Sparx and him to their loop and explain what was going on. Apparently, Sparx had replaced Twilight, this world's Anchor, as the number one student of this world's ruler, 'Princess Celestia', and Spyro had replaced Twilight's assistant, Spike, who was also a baby dragon.

Also, apparently, when awake in one of their loops, most of Twi's friends had long since learned how to become 'alicorns'—which apparently were the demigods of this world in that they had the abilities of all major pony species, as well as massive reserves of magic. Rainbow Dash had accidentally triggered her transformation while she was racing to where they had 'looped in' to make sure they didn't do anything stupid, and was now using an invisibility spell to hide the newly-acquired horn on her head.

She had also told them about what was going to happen today. Apparently, some not-quite-evil but rather misunderstood alicorn named 'Nightmare Moon' would appear later today to try to plunge the world into an eternal night. Spyro shook his head. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a baby at the moment, he'd torch her butt the second she'd appear.

"So, what do you want us to do about this 'Luna' girl?" Sparx asked, glancing over to Applejack.

AJ placed her hoof to her chin. "Well, we've all come up with several different ways 'ah dealin' with her when she ain't loopin', but considerin' ya'll are new here, do you two have any particular ideas?"

Spyro and Sparx glanced at each other before a devious grin appeared on Spyro's face. He looked back at Applejack. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

Nightmare Moon yelled in rage at the top of her lungs, but no one in the room could hear her. Thanks to a combination of skills learned from that one loop where Spyro had decided to challenge himself, and a bit of reinforcement from RD's new magical ability, the Mare in the Moon who had attempted to plunge the world into eternal night...was currently trapped in a giant bubble.

Spyro smirked. True, he probably could have come up with something better given time, but considering he was still new to this world, he decided to go with something simple.

Rainbow Dash was laughing her butt off, while AJ was trying her best to suppress a chuckle. "Trappin' her in ah bubble. I have ta' admit, it's ah bit simple, but we hadn't thought ah that yet."

Spyro snorted out a laugh. It seemed like this loop would be a rather fun one.

Though, he still wished he wasn't a baby for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then I lose what little followers I have of the fic because ponies. Or maybe I'll gain a few new ones. Hard to tell anymore, really. /shot
> 
> And now we get into the multiversial shenanigans. Yeah, wanted to wait until the characters got properly introduced to the concept before I started making it a thing, though it ended up restricting me a little this chapter with only two loops because the Legends part went on for a bit longer than intended, and I'm trying to keep these short. Keep in mind, unlike most fics in the Infinite Loops setting, I'm going to try to keep the cross-over shenanigans to a min. I have a few ideas, but it won't be an every chapter thing like most Infinite Loop fics.
> 
> Also, not sure if I should add cross-over tags to this... maybe if there's a few that are really common, but for now I'm going to keep things as is.
> 
> Loop titles:
> 
> Legend Loop 2.0: 'Jenny Exposition'
> 
> Classic Loop 2.0: 'Bubble Mare'


	5. Fused Loop Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapters beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments at the end.)

**Legends Loop 2.1:**

Spyro walked along the frozen plains of Dante's Freezer. It had been several loops now since he had encountered Jenny and learned exactly why these loops were happening, as well as a few other tricks Jenny had taught him that apparently all Anchors in their loops possessed. She had even offered to teach them a few tricks and abilities from different worlds she had visited, but for now he declined.

Spyro still wasn't sure what to make of all this. What made it the most irritating was, from what he understood, it was completely out of his control to do anything about it. Even when he had asked Jenny if there was any way to help speed up the repair of Yggdrasil, all she said was that most attempts to do so usually just ended up temporarily 'crashing' the loop and thus, for the meantime, he would have to be placed in another's world until 'the admins' repaired whatever damage he may have accidentally done to his world.

_'Just calm down, will ya? It'll fix itself when it fixes itself. For now, why not figure out what to do with your infinite resets?'_

Jenny's words still rang in his head. She seemed so light and nonchalant, despite experiencing the problems caused by the war in their world firsthand. Even though Jenny had told him she had been to several worlds whose loops were experiencing wars as well—and the people caught in it still managed to make the best of the situation—it still seemed a bit inconsiderate.

"Gah... Spyro, why are we still going along with this? You heard goggles a few loops back."

Spyro glanced at Sparx, not saying anything as he looked ahead. That was another problem he had run into about this. Other than going along with what he knew... He really wasn't sure what else he could, or really wanted, to do.

Except for one thing, though.

"You'll see, Sparx. I have something I want to try out."

Spyro hid in one of the ruined forts, having already handily dealt with most of the apes and specters in the area. Now having some time to concentrate, he closed his eyes and began to focus.

One of the first things Jenny had taught him about being a looper was that each one got their own personal 'Subspace Pocket'. Basically, it was a mini-dimension attached to the world's loopers that allowed them to carry things over from one loop to the next. It was by far one of the most basic abilities a looper could possess, and one that would grow considerably over time.

Spyro barely had enough space in it at the moment to store what he wanted to carry over to this loop, but Jenny had told him that Ranma, the first looper, had managed to expand the space in his so much that he now personally collected 'Death Stars', which were apparently the size of one of the celestial moons.

Spyro wasn't sure if he believed such a thing to be possible, but he did have to admit that Pocket Space was a very useful ability to have. For now, he didn't have too many things he wanted to take back with him each loop, but he could see it coming in handy for the future.

As a mini wormhole opened up next to him, he reached in and pulled out a set of black armor with a golden trim to it. Sparx looked at it, and smirked.

"What? You want to make things even _more_ easy on yourself?" Sparx asked sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Hate to break it to you, bro, but you're already taking out a lot of the enemies we face in one hit."

Spyro shook his head. "That's not it, Sparx."

Spyro really wasn't sure what this armor was, or who had made it. All he knew was that, throughout his adventures and the multiple loops he had been in, he had come across a multitude of armor each with their own unique and special abilities. However, none of them possessed as much raw power as the 'Fury armor', as he and the others had taken to calling it. Maybe it was an ancient relic from times gone by. Who knew? All he really knew about it was that, when he put it on, he felt his power increase tenfold.

More importantly, though, it also gave him access to the Convexity element.

Despite the multiple loops he had made—and getting better with the four basic elements out of sheer repetition—it had never really crossed Spyro's mind to try to master the Convexity element. To be honest, he still had no idea what Convexity actually _was,_ or even where to begin when it came to learning how to use it. All he knew was that it seemed to come from sheer desperation, as it seemed he was only able access it when things were most desperate.

Now that he had more or less all the time in the world, though, one of the few things he could think of was trying to master all four basic elements, and eventually unconventional elements like Convexity as well. However, there was a specific reason he wanted to master that 'element' before anything else, and he didn't want to wait several hundred loops to test if what he had planned for it would actually work. For now, he was going to take a shortcut.

Placing the helmet on last, Spyro gave a confident grin. It was quickly wiped off his face, though, when the helmet promptly fell over his eyes. Hearing Sparx chuckling at the sight, Spyro raised the helmet up and gave him an annoyed glare. Since he was three years younger than he had been when he'd first found this armor, it was rather loose-fitting. Hopefully, though, that wouldn't mess with its power too much.

Suddenly, the armor started to glow. Spyro's eyes went wide as it started to shrink to a more fitting size.

"Well, that's new. Never knew it did that," he said, glancing over the now-fitting armor.

Not a second later, a faint purple aura surrounded him as he felt his power start to increase considerably.

Sparx paused and scratched his chin. "Wait a second, Spyro. Doesn't that armor drain you of your energy like a dry sponge in water?"

Spyro smirked. That was the main drawback to this armor. For the great power came a great drain to his mana. However, if things went according to plan, he was only going to need one Convexity beam.

Spyro and Sparx heard a shriek in the air. Before Sparx could say anything, Spyro shot out from the fort they were in and took to the air. Sparx had to steady himself from the resulting wind, but once he did, he looked out the window with a sly smile.

"Oh, _I_ get what you're up to..."

Spyro had sped things along this loop, though not to the same extreme as he had with the one earlier. Just a few extra minutes to give him time to put the fury armor on before Cynder showed up.

The Terror of the Skies flew not far above him now. It hadn't taken long for Spyro to figure out that, if Cynder didn't show up at his swamp early on in the loop, there was a good chance she wasn't awake for that loop. Ever since, Spyro had always tried to find a way to lessen Cynder's time in that accursed form. Finally, after spending several loops running himself ragged, he may have found a way that was easy on both of them.

Spyro darted in front of 'Adult' Cynder, as they had taken to calling that form. His sudden appearance caused her to fumble to a stop, but once she regained her composure, she let out an evil chuckle.

"Well, well, well. So you're the purple dragon I've been hearing about," she said, narrowing her eyes as a sadistic smirk appeared on her face.

Spyro said nothing as he kept a firm gaze. _'I hope this works...'_

"I hear you've managed to handle our troops with ease. You must be pretty confident then, coming to face me of your own will," she said, keeping her gaze on Spyro. "No matter. Those idiots were always an incompetent lot. I'll make short work of you here and now!"

This was it. As Cynder reeled her head back to let loose a siren scream, Spyro glowed bright purple as he opened his maw. A massive purple beam of energy shot out, completely engulfing Cynder as she let out a shriek and was sent flying.

As Spyro ended the attack, his eyes drooped as he struggled to stay in the air. Placing a paw on his head to steady himself, he quickly shook it. He may have accidentally put more power behind that blast than he had intended.

Quickly snapping back to reality, he looked down to see Cynder falling to the ground, dark smoke trailing off her form as she began to revert back to her real size. Not wasting a second, Spyro darted down after her and grabbed her in midair as the last of the darkness washed from her scales.

Gliding to the ground, Spyro laid Cynder on the snow gently. Barely conscious, she managed to weakly glance at Spyro. "Thank...you..."

With that, Cynder closed her eyes. Placing a paw on her to make sure he hadn't hurt her, Spyro smiled once he saw that she was just resting. He would have preferred to find a way to prevent Cynder from ever experiencing that in the first place when she wasn't looping, but for now, at least he could lessen the time she spent trapped in that nightmare.

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.1:**

It was nice to be back in his world. Equestria was alright, and even though he had finally convinced RD to age him up back to his proper age during that loop, it still had nothing on the Dragon Realms.

Sparx sighed. _"I miss having everyone understand me."_

Spyro chuckled. He couldn't really think of anything to do for this loop, so for now he and Sparx were walking through the Peace Keepers realm, rescuing dragons from stone just like the good old days.

"Well, you can always use these loops to learn how to get over your dragonfly tongue."

Sparx rolled his eyes. _"I guess. I tried a few times before the loops started, but it was a_ massive _pain in the butt."_

Spyro snorted, rolling his eyes as they walked up to a nearby portal. "Well, I don't have anything particular planned for this loop. You have any ideas?"

Sparx paused as he placed his hand on his chin. _"Oh, I know! Why not try that thing that lady taught you?"_

Spyro paused. During his time in Equestria, the ponies had actually been rather surprised to find the massive amounts of magic reserves he had due to his scale-color. From what he had gathered, dragons of their world were actually supposed to outright resist magic. AJ had told him he should be glad that Twilight currently wasn't in the loop. Apparently, if she had been there, she wouldn't have let him out of her sight, wanting him to learn multiple spells so she could study how dragon magic worked. Spyro shuddered at the thought of being forced to spend an entire loop doing nothing but studying.

Needless to say, though, for any spells he was actually interested in learning, they were more than willing to teach him a thing or two about how to properly use magic. For the lessons he had managed to stay awake for, he had learned a few spells that could make these loops rather interesting. A big one he had learned was how to access the dreamscape.

Getting Luna to teach him that had been a rather tricky business, considering she hadn't been looping at the time. Thankfully, being the assistant to Celestia's 'number one-student' for that loop had helped. Once she had found out that he could even access the dreamscape to begin with, she had actually been interested to see the extent of what he could pull off. Though, he'd had to promise her _not_ to mess around with people's dreams in order for her to consider it.

Of course, he'd had his claws crossed behind his back at the time, but really. Would it matter considering that eventually she wouldn't even remember teaching him in the first place?

Spyro had yet to explore the full extent of these powers, but he had noticed a rather nice quirk to it. He had already discovered that loopers felt _different_ when he saw them in the dreamscape. With practice, he could use this ability to tell if someone was looping. Would come in handy, especially when it came to plans for pranks to pull in the current loop.

"Alright then. Be nice to know if Hunter's awake for this loop. Might give me some ideas on what to do," Spyro said as he sat down on the ground. "Now then... Let's see if I actually remember how to do this."

Spyro closed his eyes and focused, channelling his magic as he became engulfed in a soft purple glow. Letting his mind float throughout the Dragon Realms, he looked for anything that felt different than usual.

_'Hmm... Darn, doesn't look like Hunter's awake for this loop. Ah well. I'm sure I'll come up with something...eventual...'_

Though his eyes were closed, Spyro's expression became increasingly confused.

_'Wait, that can't be... Oh, horse apples!'_

Spyro shook his head. He had hoped that Equestria's speech expressions wouldn't have rubbed off on him while he was there, but he had a much greater reason to worry. He looked over to Sparx, who an amused look on his face. _"What's the matter, Spyro?"_

Spyro growled and sighed. "Let's just say I owe you five hundred gems now."

 _"Aha! Told ya!"_ Sparx said, pointing his finger at Spyro. _"Told you she was looping!"_

Spyro frowned, narrowing his eyes. He didn't know what annoyed him more. The fact that he now knew for sure Ember was in the loop, or the fact that he'd lost a bet to Sparx.

Sparx grinned. _"So, Spyro, want to let your number one fangirl know what the heck is going on?"_

Spyro shook his head. "If it's all the same to you, Sparx, I think I'm going to skip out on taking down Red this loop."

Sparx laughed, rolling his eyes. Spyro scowled. It wasn't like it was his job to inform everyone who was awake that they were in a time loop. If Ember came to the Dragon Realms to ask him about it, then _maybe_ he would let that fact slip. For now, though, he would let Hunter have that honor the next time he was awake.

_"Anyways, Spyro... Now what? Want to continue with the base timeline, or do you have something crazy you want to pull?"_

Spyro paused, placing a claw to his chin. "Um... How about doing this realm on your own? Would probably be more of challenge then those small bug colonies you beat up almost every loop."

_"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Those robot bugs of the Sorceress' can be real butts sometimes!"_

Spyro chuckled. Despite the comment, Sparx was still interested in the challenge. He gave a wink before flying through the portal. Spyro smirked and lay down as he waited for Sparx to get back. After a few seconds, though, Spyro quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was watching him, he reached into his pocket space and pulled out a red gem. After looking at for a few seconds, he shrugged and attempted to bite into it.

**_CLANG!_ **

Tears welled up in Spyro's eyes. His teeth hadn't even put a scratch on the gem. Slowly pulling it out of his mouth, it took him a few seconds before he was able to close his jaw.

 _"Oooooow!"_ Spyro muttered, glaring at the gem. Exactly how Equestrian dragons apparently ate these things, he would never know.

* * *

**Legends Loop 2.2:**

This had been interesting loop, to say the least. They had been in a few 'fused' loops since the first time with Jenny, but for the most part it had been other people coming into their universe. This was the first time they had ended up in someone else's world.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm liking this so far," Sparx said, looking over his new body.

Normally a dragonfly, Sparx was now a human thanks to this loop. He had short, messy blond hair with two tuffs sticking up in front. He was wearing traditional Viking attire, though he was rather scrawny compared to the Vikings of Berk. He didn't mind too much, though, as this body was still stronger than that of a dragonfly.

Spyro shook his head. He would have voiced his opinions about the world so far...if he had actually been able speak in this loop.

"Yep, really like this universe so far," Sparx said with a smirk.

Spyro growled as Sparx chuckled. Hopefully this loop wouldn't last too long.

"So, Amazon, what's the deal with this world?"

Astrid scowled, punching Sparx in the shoulder. As he let out an 'ow', Astrid shook her head. He had only been there for about an hour this loop, and already he was starting to get on her nerves. This guy may look like Hiccup, but he sounded a _lot_ more like Snotlout. She could only hope that, wherever Hiccup and Toothless were, they were having a better time than she was.

"First off, call me another one of your 'witty' names again and I'll do a _lot_ worse than a punch," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Secondly, usually Hiccup tames the dragons around our village, and depending on who's awake for the loop, we pretty much do whatever."

Astrid crossed her arms and a smirk appeared on her face. "Considering you look about as intelligent when it comes to taming dragons as Tuffnut and Ruffnut combined, you might want to leave the dragon taming to me."

Sparx frowned, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. "Hey, hold up now! I'll have you know I've lived around dragons for pretty much all my life. If anyone's the most suited for dealing with 'em, it'd be me." Sparx pointed to himself confidently as a smug look appeared on his face.

Astrid scoffed. "Oh really? Than how come your dragon doesn't seem all that happy to be with you?"

Sparx shook his head, putting his arm around the back of Spyro's neck. "Ah, old Spyro here's just at that age where his species gets all moody and that."

Spyro narrowed his eyes at Sparx.

"Don't let that fool you, though. Spyro and I are practically brothers." _Technically_ , that was true.

Astrid smirked as she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really!" Sparx said, before he got up and walked over to Astrid. "Heck, I bet you, by sun down, I'll have all the dragons on this island tamed and peaceful or my name ain't Sparx!" He poked a finger at Astrid's shoulder.

"Then prove it, twinkle!" Astrid said, giving him a shove that caused him to fall back onto his rear.

Frowning, Sparx got up and walked over to Spyro. "Come on, Spyro! We have a bet to win!"

Spyro shook his head. He wasn't sure why, but he had a _very_ bad feeling about this...

* * *

Spyro and Astrid looked on in horror, mouths agape as multiple dragons flew around the burning fireball that was once Berk. Astrid had seen a few loopers who had replaced Hiccup for a loop try to tame a dragon, but never before had someone managed to fail on such a massive scale that it caused _almost every single dragon on Berk_ to attack the village at the same time.

"U-uh, don't worry! Everything's under control!" Sparx called before he was promptly rammed in the back by a Deadly Nadder and sent flying into a building.

Spyro face-palmed. Thank the ancestors things would go back to normal after this loop ended.

_'Note to self: never let Sparx around dragons from any other universe_ **_ever_ ** _.'_

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.2:**

Ember sighed as she laid in her bed. This was around the one hundredth or so loop she had personally been through. She had thought about going to Spyro to ask what was going on, but so far she had never managed to find him in any of the loops. This was starting to worry her greatly. Either Spyro was looping and something had happened to him, or she was in one of these variation loops like that time she had replaced Spyro on his first three adventures.

Ember shook her head, getting out of bed. As her necklace glowed, a long shower curtain rod she had stored from a previous loop appeared out of it. She used it to push open her door, causing a bucket of water to fall down onto the floor. Flame charged in with a smirk, but it quickly disappeared.

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed in annoyance. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to get you again!"

Ember chuckled as Flame stomped away, putting the curtain rod back into her pocket space. If there was one good thing about these loops, it allowed her to become wise to any and all pranks her brother could pull on her.

She walked out of her home, telling her mother she'd be back before sundown.

Ember looked around Dragon Village. The villagers were doing pretty much the same thing they did every loop, provided something didn't come up to vary things up for a change. It unnerved her a bit to see these dragons do the same thing over and over. To be honest, she had no idea how she had managed to keep her sanity over these many loops.

She had thought about using these loops to mess with people, if only to give her something to do, but... She shook her head. Even if things would reset once the loop was over, it just wasn't in her nature to be mean like that.

Sighing, she made her way to the nursery. As she walked in, she rolled her eyes and stopped.

_'Three, two, one...'_

Ember held her paw out, catching a baby dragon as he attempted to 'fly' off the doorframe. She glanced down at the giggling hatchling.

"Tammy, what did I tell you about trying to fly off stuff?" Ember said in a firm tone.

"Sorry, Emby. I just really want to fly."

Ember chuckled before heading back into the nursery. Another good thing about these loops was that Ember had become wise to a lot of the antics of the baby dragons at the nursery.

Looking ahead, she saw Mrs. Shoutfire dealing with a group of baby dragons. Ember smiled as Shoutfire looked back, a look of relief on her face.

"Tammy! There you are!"

Ember sat the baby dragon down and he playfully hopped over to his nanny. Ember smiled as she sat down, keeping an eye on the baby dragons for any signs one of them was up to their usual antics.

As the day went on and Ember made sure the baby dragons didn't put themselves in harm's way, she began to think to herself about what she could do with her free time now. She could look for Spyro, if only to put her fears to rest, but Dragon Village wouldn't set up a portal to the Artisan Realm until Red started acting up.

She could possibly try to train herself to be better at combat. She had only barely scraped through that one loop where she was put into Spyro's shoes, and she couldn't even imagine what it would have been like had the loop not ended early and she'd had to fight Red and the Sorcerer. The main problem with that, though, was the Dragon Sensei was very picky about who he would train, so it would likely take her many loops to even _begin_ to convince him to take on a weakling like her as a student.

Ember shook her head as she saw a baby dragon, Katy, sneak away from the group. Knowing her, she was likely going to attempt to practice her fire breathing abilities. Not feeling like having a good part of the nursery burn down again, Ember got up and quickly followed after her.

Ember continued to think to herself as she walked. It was then an idea hit her; why she should she only use these loops to solve problems at the nursery? If she was going to be reliving these years for a while now, then why couldn't she use this time to solve a lot of the problems that plagued the village?

A smile appeared on her face. That was actually a pretty good idea. Even if these loops reset everything she did, for now, she at least had something to do. She was going to use this time to make Dragon Village the most peaceful village in the Dragon Realms.

For now, though, she had a greater part of the nursery to keep from burning down.

* * *

**Legends Loop 2.3:**

Once again, much to Sparx's annoyance, Spyro had found that he had fallen into a routine each loop.

If Cynder wasn't awake in a loop, he would follow the baseline events of his original timeline up until the earliest point he knew he would encounter Cynder, and use the Fury armor to break the curse on her early. If she was awake, besides her coming to the Swamp to join his side of the story, they would pretty much follow the base timeline with Gaul taking her place. Pretty much the only differences were Sparx's antics becoming more frequent, and Spyro spending more time devoted to training his abilities.

Spyro took deep breaths as he stood in front of a training dummy. He had to practice using the Convexity element at a time he knew none of the guardians would walk in on him, as him practicing this element seemed to bother them greatly. It kind of hurt having his mentors worried that he might end up like Malefor because of that element being his personal favorite, but he was mostly willing to forgive them. The only times he could train were early on in the loops when they had yet to really get to know him, so they really didn't know better.

As he focused, a faint purple aura surrounded him. He could feel it, the raw power of Convexity. The problem was trying to use it, to focus it into an attack. Spyro opened his mouth, trying to will it out like the other elements, but all that came out was an exhaling breath.

Spyro growled, letting his head down as he took several deep breaths. This would be easier if he had a Convexity guardian to teach him, but he would be damned if he would go to that dragon for anything. Sighing, Spyro shook his head before he began to concentrate again.

"Spyro?"

Spyro nearly jumped out of his scales when he heard someone speak up. Looking back, he saw Cynder standing next to the doorframe with a shy expression on her face. Spyro was rather surprised. Cynder wasn't awake for this loop, so she shouldn't have been here at the training room at this hour. Nonetheless, Spyro quickly softened his expression.

"What is it, Cynder?"

Cynder looked down, unable to make eye contact. Spyro frowned. Even though he did everything he could to make it apparent he didn't hold anything against her while she was the Terror of the Skies in the loops she wasn't awake, it still took her a good long while before she felt comfortable enough to be around him on equal terms.

Cynder looked away, though she did managed to glance at Spyro out of the corner of her eye. "I... I wanted to...to thank you again for saving me."

Spyro smiled, walking over to Cynder carefully so he didn't intimidate her. "It was no problem. When I found out you were a young dragoness under a spell, saving you from it was the first thing I had on my mind." Technically, that was the truth.

Cynder smiled, though she still had trouble making eye contact with him. Admittedly, that line had sounded a bit corny now that Spyro thought about it, but it didn't really seem to bother Cynder. They were silent for a moment until he spoke up again.

"Cynder, you do realize that none of that was your fault? You were kidnapped as an egg before you could even fight back, and you did none of that of your own will. The only one to blame here is the Dark Master."

Cynder's eyes drooped, and she looked away with a sigh. "I know, but... My body still committed all those horrible acts, and even though I was aware of it, I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was too weak. I have to take some responsibility for those actions because of it..."

Spyro frowned. He really wished that, throughout all the loops he'd gone through, there was some sort of possible conversation they could have that would finally convince her she wasn't evil early on. If only there was a way he could outright prevent her from becoming that when she wasn't awake.

It was then did a thought occurred to Spyro.

"Uh, Cynder?" he asked, trying to think of the correct way to word this. He probably should have waited until Cynder was awake to ask this, but if there was a chance he could learn this sooner, he would take it. "I know this may be a hard question for you to answer, but I don't suppose you know the place you were cursed at?"

Cynder froze up for a second, the idea of having to remember those horrid memories not a comforting thought. "W-why do you ask?"

Spyro shook his head before he gave a sympathetic frown. "Well, if they're using that place to do stuff like that to dragons, it might be worth checking out so we can hopefully stop that for good."

Cynder paused before she looked down and closed her eyes.

"W-well... I was only there a few times. Once when I was... Well, you know," Cynder said, barely opening her eyes as she flinched at the memory. "And I only went back there occasionally in order to get orders from the ape king, Gaul. I don't fully remember what the place was like, though. All I know was that it was in a giant mountain."

 _'Likely the Well of Souls,'_ Spyro thought, cringing a bit.

Thanks to his many repeat adventures, he had a general idea of how to get there. However, it was still a long way from the Dragon Temple even if he cut out the antics with the sky pirates and the Chronicler. On top of that, Cynder had mentioned once while she was awake that she usually didn't have much time when a loop started before she was turned into the Terror of the Skies. Even if Spyro booked it as fast as his wings would carry him, he likely still wouldn't make it in time.

"Spyro?"

Spyro snapped back to reality as he realized that Cynder was still in front of him, giving him an odd look. "Spyro, you're not thinking of going there now, are you?"

Spyro shook his head. "No, not yet. I still have to rescue the other guardians, after all."

Cynder gave him a concerned look. It was one of the rare instances she had been able to make eye contact with him during an early part of the loop. "Spyro, listen to me. I may not fully remember what that place was like, but I do know that it's one of the Dark Master's main fortresses. A good portion of the Dark Master's army is held up there. You may be good at fighting apes, but there's no way you'll make it past some of the nightmarish monsters that are held up there."

Considering he'd done exactly that even in the original timeline—and after several loops now he had even managed to one-shot even those specters riding those damn ghost horses in armor—he knew that he easily could by this point. Regardless, there was no way non-awake Cynder could know that, so Spyro decided not to worry her.

"I know, it's just that...the idea of the Dark Master possibly doing that to other living beings... He truly is nothing but a monster."

Cynder gave a nod of agreement. "Truer words were never spoken."

A silence followed before Cynder looked away. "Well, I better be going. I promised Ignitus I would help clean up the temple... Doesn't even begin to make up for a fraction of what I've done, but at least it's a start," she said as she turned around to leave.

Spyro smirked as he watched Cynder take one last glance at him before she left. He wasn't exactly sure why she had come to the training room this loop when she'd never done so before, but he was glad she had. Now he knew what to do for the next few loops. He wasn't sure if this would even be possible, but he did have a plan for the next few loops. It wasn't going to be easy, but one thing was for sure. He was going to be seeing the Chronicler a lot more in the future.

Hiding above the doorframe, Sparx grinned. From the confident smirk on his brother's face, it looked like the usual routine was going to have a major shake-up for the next few loops.

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.3:**

Spyro pressed up against a wall in the Artisan Realm, leaning his front paws against it as he stood on his rear legs. He let go of the wall. Legs wobbling, he stumbled back, trying to keep his balance as his 'arms' flailed wildly in an attempt to keep him upright. Managing to steady himself, Spyro paused. A few seconds passed without him falling flat on his behind and he smirked. Feeling confident, he took a step forward.

Not a second later, he found himself flat on his back.

Frowning, he glanced over to a few nearby dragons who were standing up straight on their hind legs like it was no problem.

"How the heck do they do that?" he muttered before he rolled onto his stomach.

Sparx chuckled, looking down at his friend as he rolled his eyes.

 _"I take_ it that _some_ one is in a _hurry_ to grow up?" Sparx said, his normal kazoo-like pronunciations managing to have a somewhat more understandable tone to the untrained ear.

Spyro smirked, resting his head on his paws. "Give me a break, Sparx. Considering how many loops we've been through, I could only guess by this point, if time were working normally, I'd be waaaaaaay past the point where I would have already learned how to walk on two paws by now."

"Fair enough," Sparx said with an amused expression before flying down and resting next to Spyro.

Spyro smiled. "I have to say, Sparx. You're really starting to get a handle on your dragonfly tongue."

"Th _an_ ks. You'd _be_ surprised at how going through _a loop_ where people can actually _understand_ you can properly _motivate some_ one."

Spyro and Sparx chuckled. Spyro rolled over onto his back, looking at the sky. Sparx flew into the air. "So. What _did_ you have planned for this _loop?_ "

"Not much, really. Now that I got Gnasty out of the way in this loop, I was mostly planning to try to learn how to walk on two legs, take the part where I was supposed to fight Ripto off, that kind of stuff," Spyro said lazily, stretching a bit as he placed his forelegs behind his head.

Sparx raised an eyebrow. "What about Ripto?"

"Don't worry, Sparx. I told Hunter my plan the last time he was awake. I don't think we'll have to worry about Ripto anytime soon."

* * *

In Winter Tundra, the group of Hunter, the Professor, and Elora stood next to each other, exchanging confused and awkward glances. The Professor was testing out his super portal as per usual, and when it came time to enter the coordinates, instead of suggesting his birthday like he usually did, since Spyro had wanted to take a break, Hunter had decided to enter some new co-ordinates. As suspected, they hadn't ended up with Ripto attempting to take over Avalar this time. However, what _had_ come out of the portal had shocked even Hunter.

"Where the heck are we!?" Flame exclaimed, throwing his forelegs into the air as he sat up.

Ember just looked around the realm in confusion. In all the loops, _this_ had certainly never happened before. As Hunter looked on at the pair of confused dragons, he scratched his head.

_'Huh. Bianca's birthday leads to Dragon Village. Learn something new every loop.'_

Hunter sighed. He hoped Ember wasn't awake. Spyro had personally appointed him the task of explaining what was going on with the realms should he run into her while they both were awake. Considering he was terrible at explaining things, that was easier said than done.

* * *

**?:**

_"'All About Looping: By Saraswati and Iris. Edited by Seshat' ..._ Seriously?"

"Hey, it's better than the loopers going in blind before someone who actually knows exactly what's going on explains it to them."

"I know, Zephyr. Still... Do we really need a _'Looping for Dummies'_ book? Couldn't we just, ya' know, _actually tell them_ what's going on?"

"It's easier this way, and doesn't take as much time away from the repairs to Yggdrasil. Of course, it would go a lot quicker if you actually pulled your weight to begin with."

"Hey! Making sure their universes don't poop themselves when a loop begins is a lot of work in and of itself!"

"And yet, us other admins still find time to make sure we eventually won't need these loops at all. I would expect you to learn from the others."

"Yeah, yeah. I can take the hint."

"Sure you can. That's why I have to pull double the work to make up for your lack of effort." In the void, Zephyr sighed. "In any case, just make sure all the current loopers in the universes you watch over get a copy of that. I don't want to have to help you should one of them pull off something that causes a loop crash."

The other being groaned.

"Fine. I think it's about time both the Dragon Realms met their admin, anyways..."

* * *

**Legends Loop 2.4:**

It was always interesting having someone visit their loop. It seemed like it was starting to become more frequent ever since the loop with Jenny, and some of the results had been rather interesting. For the most part, a lot of them wanted to help, considering the state of their loop—not to mention that, considering Spyro and his companions were relatively new to the multiverse, unlike other loopers, they didn't have a millennium of experience under their belts to end major baseline problems quickly.

Spyro didn't really like the idea, feeling like it was his burden to bare, yet most loopers insisted. Some said Spyro and his companions needed a break from the war, some wanted something new to do in their dull looping lives, and others insisted just because their sense of justice was so strong that they couldn't just stand by and watch.

However, as much as he didn't like others taking on his burden, Spyro had to admit that sometimes the results were just entertaining to watch. After all the hell they had caused before the loops had even started, seeing the apes flee in terror every time their current guest looper and his 'special weapon' showed up was just so damn satisfying.

"I still have no idea how that thing doesn't collapse under its own weight," Cynder muttered, looking on from the walls of Warfang with eyes wide.

It was yet another 'King of Terror' loop, though his reign hadn't lasted long this time when he'd met his untimely end in the form of a giant fist to the face.

Sparx buzzed by Cynder's head, stretching as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Why doesn't the Destroyer collapse under its own weight? Why does our world keep fusing with other worlds? Why are we in a time loop?" Sparx rambled on, crossing his arms. "Really, I stopped questioning things long ago back in the baseline when my brother turned out to be a legendary dragon destined to save the world."

Spyro couldn't help but chuckle as Cynder shot Sparx an annoyed glare. He looked back at the battle going on not far from Warfang, actually rather excited at seeing how it was going.

On one side stood the Destroyer who, despite the adversary standing in its way, was more focused on trying to complete its walk around the world than actually fighting. On the other side stood a large bipedal metal being, sporting a white, red, black and blue color scheme. It was knight-like in appearance, and was as almost as tall as the Destroyer itself. The metal giant merely smacked away the small magma monsters that were attempting to attack it, focusing almost completely on the apocalypse monster and making sure it made almost zero progress in its mission.

Atop the head of the giant metal being, a brown dragon sat in a small protective dome. Under his helmet, which had been altered to fit a dragon, Kouji growled. So far this loop had been an interesting tale he could utterly break thanks to his giant mecha, but for once there was a being here who was proving to be quite the challenge.

"Mazinger! _ROKETTO PANCHI!"_

As if following its pilot's command, the Mazinger raised and pointed its fist at the Destroyer. The joint just before its elbow flashed before its fist detached and went flying at the Destroyer. Smashing through it like a hot knife through butter, it left a giant hole through the beast before the fist flew up into the air, homing back to the Mazinger and reattaching itself.

Watching as the Destroyer started to fall to pieces, Kouji wasn't fooled in the slightest. After the last few times he'd smashed this thing to bits, he wasn't surprised that, not a second after he'd caused it to collapse, it quickly reformed good as new. Growling at the beast's unwillingness to stay down, he let out a yell as he piloted the Mazinger to charge right at it, landing several punches and knocking it back considerably.

From the sidelines, Sparx looked on dully. "I think its been like an hour now since he started fighting that thing. Wonder how long he's going to keep this up before he realizes Malefor's just going to revive it every time he smashes it?"

Cynder shook her head. "Not sure. In any case, we should use this time to take Malefor down so it'll hopefully be taken down for good for a change. Spyro..."

Cynder turned to Spyro to tell him her plan, but she paused when she noticed the look on his face. His eyes were wide and had an odd spark to them, and he had an almost giddy smile on his face. Cynder couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Spyro...?"

"Huh? O-oh!" Spyro said, jumping slightly as a blush appeared on his face. "R-right! Beat Malefor again! Got it!"

Cynder tilted her head, noting Spyro's eyes darting every which way as he tried to hide the blush on his face. Somehow, she got the feeling that Spyro was trying to hide something. Nonetheless, she brushed it off.

"Let's get going then," she said as she took off.

Through the many loops they had experienced, after some rather painful mess-ups, Spyro had found a way to get through the Belt of Fire without Ignitus having to sacrifice himself. Taking one last look at the battle going on behind them, he felt a sudden surge of energy. Smirking, he took to the air. He was going to make sure to give Malefor one hell of a battle, and with any luck, maybe he wouldn't have to pull the world back together this time around.

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.4: (feat: Barryc100588)**

Mac's Bar was open for business and full of loopers, including a certain purple dragon, and he was telling a story about one of his adventures to the audience. The Crusaders were especially captivated.

"I had just entered the third area of the Forgotten Worlds, Evening Lake, and I decided to go look and see if there was anyone captive there, too. I figured the Sorceress would do that, if Sergeant Bird and Sheila the Kangaroo were anything to go on. And sure enough, in the central tower of the area, I found a yeti in a cage with my old 'friend' Moneybags the Bear 'guarding' him."

Apple Bloom chose this moment to interrupt. "It's incredible how, how..."

"Duplicitous!" Sweetie piped up.

"Um, what does that mean, Sweetie?" Scootaloo asked.

"It means to be deceptive or double-dealing. In this case, Moneybags agreed to keep the animals the Sorceress captured locked up, but also agreed to free those same animals if paid," Sweetie explained.

Scootaloo coughed what sounded like "dictionary" under her breath.

Spyro chuckled. "He is duplicitous, Apple Bloom. Now back to my story. I paid him a thousand gems to free Bentley, and after calling him an—and I quote—'avaricious, duplicitous, larcenous ursine', he clubbed Moneybags with his club and inviting me into his world."

Twilight winced. "He sounds pretty violent."

Rainbow chose then to speak up. "I don't know about you, Twilight, but if I was locked up by someone for money, and that same person freed me for money, I'd get pretty violent too."

Other loopers in the room were nodding in agreement.

Spyro nodded. "Each of the captive animals were violent to Moneybags, if you recall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hai, Infinite Loops. Been a while.
> 
> Anyways, remember in the last chapter where I said cross-overs wouldn't be that frequent? Yeah... Story behind that. 
> 
> The HTTYD loop was the only cross-over loop I had planned for this chapter, but someone had another FiM loop they had written which made it four classic loops to three legends loops, something my OCD would not allow, I had to add an extra legends loop to balance it out... and sense a lot of the 'baseline' loops I have planned require Cynder to be over her inital shock over all this, I had to go with a fused loop I had planned for a later chapter. Again, I promise cross-over loops won't be an 'every other loop' thing like most Infinite Loop fics.
> 
> Also, speaking of loops written by other people, the Spyro loops now has its own Space Battles thread! If anyone has their own Spyro loops they'd like to add, the link to it is on my profile under the section detailing this fic. I'm also thinking of making a FF.N thread for this for anyone who doesn't have a Space Battles account.
> 
> Would also like to thank a user there by the name of Conceptulist for the whole 'Spyro learns about the dream scape' idea. My original plan for having him tell when someone was awake in a loop involved him reverse engineering the EoH (how the FiM loopers tell if someones awake), but admittedly that didn't make much sense. Plus, this allows for some rather interesting loops in the future. For those wondering how Spyro could learn such a thing in the first place, I plan on explaining that in a future chapter.
> 
> Legends loops:
> 
> 2.1: Infinity plus one armor.
> 
> 2.2: How not to train your dragon.
> 
> 2.3: A new plan takes form.
> 
> 2.4: Kouji can break loops on the fly! He can wreck major threats! In his robot man! Mazinger Z! /shot
> 
> Classic loops:
> 
> 2.1: Taste like toothache.
> 
> 2.2: The plan for a peaceful village.
> 
> 2.3: Wonder what Spyro's birthday would lead to?
> 
> 2.4: Sweetie is the best dictionary. /shot


	6. Variations, magic, and Pokemon (Oh my!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snips beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.

**Legends Loop 2.5: (Legends Loop 1.6 continuation)**

Loud crashes and rumbling rang throughout the temple, echoing out from the training area. Test dummies and targets went flying everywhere as chunks of earth flew every which way. Spyro growled. _'Why!? Why did she have to get caught up in this too!?'_

He grabbed a test dummy, grinding his teeth into it as he flung it across the room. It didn't seem all that long ago, but what he had found out would haunt him for the rest of the loops.

Cynder was looping. Cynder was being forced to relive everything she had done against her will.

Spyro growled, slamming the ground and sending a pillar of earth up that flung a test dummy towards the ceiling. It had been bad enough when it had just been him and Sparx. At least, after doing everything over and over again, he had been able to change things in his favor, and he had never been in massive peril from the start. Cynder, however...

Spyro let out a roar, slamming his paws together, which caused chunks of the ground to rise up and smash a test dummy flat. He couldn't take it anymore. He had managed to hold up this long because he had been the only one in real danger. Now he had to worry about Cynder and what it was like for her at the start when she was 'awake' for the loop. Spyro charged forward, tearing into a test dummy, flinging bits of hay every which way.

"Calm down."

Spyro raised his head, glaring back out of the corner of his eye. Terrador was overseeing his earth training as per usual, but this was the first time he had said something different.

"You have to stay calm in battle, no matter who it is you're facing."

Spyro huffed. He knew his mentor was just trying to help, but at the same time he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Spyro took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered, looking away. Despite everything, Spyro still knew better than to disrespect one of his mentors.

"I know you want to end this war, Spyro, we all do," Terrador said, his ever sturdy gaze keeping firm. "But you can't let your emotions get the best of you, especially on the battlefield."

"You don't understand... There's no way you can understand," Spyro muttered, turning to face his mentor. "Everything feels like it's crashing down around me. Like everything's spiraling out of control, and I can't do anything to stop it! It's just, I..." Spyro groaned, grabbing his head. He didn't even know why he was trying to explain all this to Terrador. He doubted there was a proper way to explain it that would make him understand.

Terrador closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He reopened them slowly. "Spyro, I know all this was forced on you at such a young age—"

_'Yeah... "Young."'_

"—and, believe me, if it weren't for how desperate things were, we wouldn't have forced this burden on you. I won't pretend like I understand what you're going through. I doubt I ever fully could. However, there is something my mentor once told me. I'm not sure how much it holds up with what you're going through, but please listen..."

"'No matter who it is you face, no matter how hard things may get, you cannot lose yourself. If you lose yourself, you lose control of the battle. If you lose control of the battle, you lose everything.'"

Spyro listened to Terrador's words with an indifferent look. They sounded so simple, yet the deep meaning was not lost on him. Terrador looked down, a calm look on his face. "Again, I'm not sure how well it holds up with what you're going through. I hope, at least, the meaning of those words got through."

"Yeah... I think I got it," Spyro said, taking a deep breath.

"Good," Terrador said, walking up to him. "Now then, you already appear to be well-skilled in the earth element, but as long as you fight with rage, you can never fully master it. You must always fight with a level head, unmoving like the earth under your paws. Once you have learned that, come speak to me. I have something to teach you that may one day help you turn the tide of battle."

With that, Terrador turned and left the training room. Watching him leave, Spyro sighed. _'No matter who it is you face, no matter how hard things may get, you cannot lose yourself.'_

Spyro shook his head. _'I get it... Getting angry over this isn't going to help anyone. The only thing that'll happen if I let this overtake me is risking being overtaken by my dark side, which will_ definitely _not help anyone.'_

Spyro looked towards the balcony. He had no idea if Cynder was awake this loop, if she was being forced against her will to relive her early loop actions once again. He shook his head, hoping that it wasn't the case. Taking a deep breath, he looked up with a determined glint in his eyes.

_'Don't worry, Cynder. I'll figure out a way to get us out of this... Please, just hold on...'_

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.5 (Feat: UkeleleNarwhal)**

Spyro hated calligraphy. Not the art of aesthetically pleasing handwriting, though he didn't have much of an opinion on it anyway. No, he hated drawing triangles to magically teleport.

"C'mon, I drew a triangle, I should be teleporting!" His cry of frustration sounded throughout the courtyard of Midday Gardens, and a few heads turned to see what the commotion was about.

The purple dragon angrily scribbled in the air with his tail, leaving blue glowing brushstrokes hanging in the air. The problem wasn't that he was ignorant of the proper method to draw a three-sided polygon, it was that the 'powers that be' had decided that Spyro would not teleport from this location, not without inscribing a triangle with his tail at least an infinite amount of times.

Where was his destination that he was this upset over such an issue?

"Ugh, I'm never going to get to Red's dojo unless I start walking, will... Wait, wait, hold on...?" Suddenly, a miracle occurred. The scribbles that he had left in the air were inexplicably recognized as a three-sided shape, and Spyro was quickly whisked away in a whirlwind of cyan polygons.

An instant later, Spyro found himself at his aforementioned destination, a building in the Magic Crafters domain that took heavy inspiration from Oriental architecture. His mouth was agape, shocked at the incredulity of the event that had just transpired.

"Just, no. I just can't. Those elders, how could they think that magic calligraphy could help me in a fight against a professional evil sorcerer?"

Trying to gloss over his present frustration, Spyro made his way up the steps to the pavilion of the pagoda that stood before him. He had a mission, one that he had planned on ever since he had started looping, and he was not going to back down, not after he'd scrounged up enough work ethic to ask his elders to teach him something for once.

Spyro figured that, if anyone knew an alternative to flailing his tail around like an idiot to perform magic tricks, it was Red. Ever since the Dark Sorcerer's improbable defeat, Red had been released from the puppet master's control and had been reintegrated into dragon society as a sensei at the Arcana Dojo, where he instructed young dragons in arts like dragon-kata and—the bane of Spyro's existence—magic calligraphy.

Funny thing was, when Red had duked it out with the purple dragon, he had never tried to call a time-out to figure out why his summoning spells weren't working. Rather, with just a wave of his hands or a wand, magic just did its job. This proved that there was some method to perform magic without dealing with scribbles, Spyro reasoned.

Spyro walked through the entrance and saw Red working with Flame, trying to help him find the proper stance to parry a tail swipe.

"Flame, if an opponent tried to knock your legs out from under you, what would be the best position to get into?" Red queried.

"Wait, I know this one. I just jump, right?"

"What if you couldn't jump in time?"

"Um...I fall."

"Exactly, that's why you must be perpendicular to the direction of your foe's strike. Therefore, only two of your limbs will be affected and you can recover immediately to counter." Red noticed Spyro walking in his direction and decided to end his discussion there.

"Right, I knew that."

"Sure you did. Go practice with the other students, and please remember what I said."

Flame turned towards the rest of the class and walked on, while Red turned his attention to his former adversary.

"Spyro, how goes it? I hope you rested well after the whole Sorcerer incident." Red's voice faltered a bit on the word "Sorcerer." It was a sensitive topic, considering that he had been possessed and reduced to a simple pawn during both of his failed conquests for world domination.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I actually came here to ask you something."

"Really? Then please, do tell."

"How do you use magic?"

"Is this a joke? You did defeat the Sorcerer, right?"

"No, I want to know how _you_ use magic. I have never seen you using your tail to draw out shapes and symbols when you cast a spell. Why is that?"

Red was aware of what Spyro was asking, and he was unsure what to make of this behavior. Spyro had never exhibited a real interest in whatever his elders taught him, and had mostly figured it out himself. For him to arrive at the dojo out of his own volition, and to ask for a lesson from an elder, let alone a former enemy, was unheard of. Of course, Red thought, when he had been a child, he had not been afraid to experiment. Perhaps Spyro was in that phase... Who was he to keep him in the dark about this? He would've found out sooner or later. Spyro might as well learn it from him.

"Come, follow me." Red guided Spyro to a training room in the dojo, and had him sit across from him on a mat. With a chuckle, Red began his instruction.

"I wanted to be a magician and solve the problems of others with my wand. What I didn't understand, however, is that centuries of reasoning, knowledge and calculation stood behind the simple spell that could change an object's color. Now that I am old and have squandered my magic on evil things, you must understand that, when you use magic, you are being supported on the shoulders of giants. Keep that in mind as we begin."

Red reflected on himself and willed an orange translucent rectangle to materialize on the wall behind him. He gathered his thoughts and set them aside as he summoned a line of text to appear on it:

"Red-magician   
Please enter a command:   
[#!]_"

All it took was one look and Spyro was hooked. _'That's so freaking cool! I totally regret putting this off for so many loops!'_

"I figured that you would be somewhat impressed. The words and symbols you see are messages from what is known as a magic command line. What's that, you ask? How about I show you what it is."

"Please enter a command:   
[#!]run pigment.emt    
To use, select an object and set it to a color.   
[#!]select Spyro-nonMagician, set to red   
Setting color... Done!   
[#!] **_** "

Spyro noticed an orange glow around his form and saw his scales turn crimson right before his eyes.

"And now, you should notice that you are completely indistinguishable from that Flame fellow from earlier."

"Heh heh, that was actually kinda funny."

"So, did you notice something about those words that appeared and the color you are now?"

"Yeah, you wrote something about turning me red, and you used magic to make it happen."

"Correct! You have won the grand prize, an all-expense paid curriculum on how to summon and control a magic command line of your very own! Do you, Spyro, accept this prize?"

Spyro's eyes had a spark, a spark of determination, the light of inspiration, and the will to risk perspiration.

"Bring it on, Red."

* * *

**Legends Loop 2.6 (Feat: AbZHz101)**

Spyro awoke to the sight of a purple egg. Blinking, he looked down and saw that, not only did he stand quite a bit taller than usual, but his scales were also now shades of rusty red and orange. With morbid curiosity and a slight dawning horror, Spyro looked into his in-loop memories for one specific fact: what others called him. Sure enough, he had looped in as his mentor, Ignitus.

Instantly, Spyro banished the rest of his in-loop memories regardless of the consequences, not wanting to intrude on his mentor's privacy. Spyro-Ignitus walked through the temple hatchery, having a polite nod for every dragon that he passed, silently marveling at all the eggs. He didn't know where Cynder's egg was at the moment, but that did little to detract from the scene before him.

He vowed that he would protect them. And it should be such an easy task. He had saved the world well over a thousand times, and routed the apes countless more. Surely he had the power to stop one attack. He slipped to the temple walls, under pretence to stargaze, but in truth to be ready for when the apes attacked. He found that he was not the only one with such plans, as Terrador was already there.

"It is a beautiful night, Ignitus. The sky is clear," Terrador rumbled.

"And the air is crisp," the Anchor in his mentor's body replied. He strode next to Terrador and tried to take the entire scene in.

"You're worried," Terrador noted.

Spyro jerked, turning to look at the Earth Guardian.

"Ignitus, how long have we known each other?" Terrador asked with a long-suffering sigh. "If you think Volteer, Cyril or I cannot read you as well if not better than you can us, you need to dunk your head in the lake. You don't have to pretend for us. We all know that each of us put on the air of confidence and act like we know what we're doing, but most of the time we're walking blind. We all became Guardians young, a blessing to our own teachers, yes, but it doesn't change the fact that we are the youngest four ever recorded, and you are the youngest leader our order has ever had. As someone who knows what stress can do, I ask that you not pretend for us, and as your friend I'm telling you that, if you keep it up, I _will_ pound you into next week."

Internally, Spyro was astonished. He had never seen this side of Terrador before. Perhaps the attack and subsequent time had worn it away, or maybe the extra years had padded it to the point that it could no longer be seen, or perhaps Terrador simply found it inappropriate to divulge such things to one so far below his age. As he marveled, his loop reflexes kicked in and he chuckled. "Duly noted, my friend. I have this feeling that tonight... _something_ will happen. I don't know what, but I just can't relax."

Terrador grumbled in agreement. "I feel it too, Ignitus. Still, you must be careful, or it will turn out that our Fire Guardian snapped from chasing phantoms."

"Just... If something goes wrong. Protect the eggs, Terrador. Please."

"I will."

The two stood in companionable silence for fifteen minutes more. It was near that time that they began to feel the earth beneath them trembling. Sharing a glance, the two dragons bolted for the hatchery, only to find the quickest way in already swarming with the enemy. Growling in rage at such an offence, Spyro lit up a clear path. Then, when they reached the first junction to the outside, he turned away from the eggs.

"Go!" he called to Terrador. "I'll see if I can't stem the tide."

There was no hesitation in Terrador's steps as he galloped down the now empty hall. Spyro charged down the hall, splitting at the turn to come out in the training hall, one of the quickest routes from the outside to the hatchery. He called upon his elements, but something was odd. Fire leapt forth, far more readily than he could ever recall, but the other three... He felt an almost grating, as if he was trying to rub two jagged stones together. No matter, he could work with that.

The room was lit by the burning corpses of the invading apes, and the walls stained red with their blood as he meticulously, _efficiently_ destroyed every enemy that set foot within.

* * *

Once the flood of apes had disappeared, Spyro-Ignitus turned and headed for the hatchery. There he saw an impossible sight. There were apes in the hatchery, revelling like teenagers at a rave in a friend's house. And the eggs... Smashed, bashed, broken and beaten, with more still yet whole ones in their filthy hands.

He trembled. No way; it wasn't fair...

**_'NO!'_ **

Spyro had one purpose: defend the eggs. There was an instant where all the air in the room seemed to be pulled toward him... And then he exploded in purple flames. He launched forward, a flaming missile viciously removing heads, torsos, arms and legs from bodies, but with surprising speed and gentleness catching the dragon eggs and returning them to their place. But the apes kept coming, and they continued to break.

They soon knew his fury, and in the underworld damned their actions, but one dragon just wasn't enough. Maybe it was hours later, maybe days, maybe moments, but eventually they stopped. The only things in the room were a _very_ furious dragon and a plethora of broken eggs. But in his heart he knew that one of the apes that had run in had also made it back out. Snarling, the mad dragon let out a colossal roar and blazed down the path that he knew the ape had taken. Soon enough, he found two companies of retreating soldiers who were unsure if they should be celebrating or not.

The answer was quickly decided to be "not" as the enraged Anchor burst among the rearmost company. The apes fought for their lives, but the group not currently engaged tried to flee. Cowards. That could not be tolerated. He _willed_ the earth to rise, and the ground beneath the apes _exploded._ The few that had time for a death cry wailed as molten earth devoured them, leaving not even the bones. Then he slashed before him, and the earth nearby replied.

It was only after the last trace of his foes had been snuffed out that Spyro's alertness began to drop. He realized his leads, his trail, had gone. _They were all gone._

He didn't know how long he had been standing there wallowing in his failure when he felt three familiar presences some distance off. Spyro didn't even have the strength to lift his head to acknowledge them.

"Ignitus..." He shouldn't have been surprised that it was Terrador who spoke first.

"...I failed... They're all gone..." he heard himself say. How odd, that he seemed to be speaking without thinking.

"The fault lies with _all_ of us," Cyril emphasized.

"And there is one success to be had this night," Volteer added hopefully, the events of the night subduing even his tongue.

"You spirited away an egg," Spyro stated. "The purple one."

"Yes," the Electric Guardian agreed. "I realize that it is a small comfort, but at least one still lives."

"No," Spyro replied, dully shaking his head. "If they could not find the egg they were after, they will have taken another as hostage and slave. That we could not prevent that only makes our defeat all the more complete."

"Then we shall find and free them. And leave nothing to chance," Cyril replied.

"We don't know where they _are_!" Spyro insisted. He knew that one day the Ape King would take Cynder to the Well of Souls, but he didn't know when that would happen or where they had been previously.

"We _will_ find them," Terrador asserted. "And we will do right by them...both of them, for the ones that we failed."

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.6**

Spyro darted along the path of the Artisan world with his head low, not bothering to look where he was going in the slightest.

"Spyro!" Sparx called, darting after him.

He didn't respond, continuing to run as fast as his paws would carry him. Spyro was no stranger to bad loops, having caused a few after a prank went awry or during an odd variation, but this...

Spyro tripped over his front paws, skidding to a stop as he tumbled. Landing face first, his body fell to the ground with a thud. He lay there, staring off dully into space. Sparx flew in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Leave me alone, Sparx."

Sparx frowned, looking at Spyro with a concerned glint in his eyes. "Spyro..."

Spyro sighed, looking away. "I'm a jerk, aren't I?"

"You're not a jerk, Spyro. It's just...these loops are starting to get to you."

Spyro didn't say anything, just looked down. He couldn't believe how far he'd taken this loop. It was a 'lonely' loop, where only he and Sparx were awake. It had all started out with a simple idea: just point out the various flaws of logic most of the people in this world came up with. It was all good and hilarious fun for the first part of his adventure, but then he got to Avalar and the Forgotten Realms and...

_"Gah! You're so aggravating! If it wasn't for the fact that we need a dragon, we would have sent you back a long time ago!"_

_"Alright, you little purple show off! Have fun collecting all the orbs by yourself!"_

Spyro winced, grasping his head. He should have taken that as a sign to cut it out right then and there, but _no._

_'It won't matter anyways once the loop ends.'_

Spyro growled at the naïve thought, having used that to justify his actions so far. If he had just stuck to pestering, that would have been one thing. But no, he'd just _had_ to see what the worlds his 'friends' usually dealt with were like. If he had just asked to join them, it would have been one thing. _'No. No, no, freaking no,'_ Spyro thought, closing his eyes tightly.

_"Alright then, ya' little purple whelp! Have fun fightin' the Sorceress by yourself!"_

_"That is enough of this, private! If you won't behave like a proper solider, then I'm dishonorably discharging from this war! Having to deal with that shame would be much better than putting up with you!"_

_"Why you uncultured, infuriating swine! I may be grateful to you for freeing me from that cage, but if you are going to continue to act so pompous, egotistical, and self-absorbed, then I am sad to inform you that you now have one less ally against the Sorceress!"_

_"GAAH! People may tell me I'm crazy, but at least I'm sane enough to know not to associate myself with dirtbags like you! Seriously, I've seen Rhynocs with better dispositions than you!"_

Spyro curled up into a ball.

"I should have stopped all this the second Elora told me off, but _no,_ " Spyro said, rolling over onto his back and placing his paws over his eyes. "I had to keep up this stupid idea. I just _had_ to keep acting like the most condescending little prick in all the Dragon Realms!"

Spyro sighed, lowering his front paws as he looked at the sky. "And because of me, not only does everyone I know hate me, but Bianca..."

Spyro winced. Because Hunter had been too angry with him to ever consider helping him again, he hadn't been there when they'd fought the Sorceress. Without him being there, and thanks to Spyro's general obnoxious persona, even when Bianca had found out what the Sorceress had been planning to do with the eggs...

Spyro shuddered. He would never forget the sight of Bianca falling into a pit of lava for as long as he lived.

"What the heck is wrong with me, Sparx?" Spyro muttered, rolling onto his side and curling into a ball. "Am I really becoming this bad of a dragon...?"

Sparx frowned, hovering over him. "Listen, Spyro... You're not a bad dragon. If anything, the fact that you're feeling this way shows that you're still the Spyro I know before the loops started, which is a major relief."

Sparx turned around and looked up at the sky. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you, to see your friends forget about you every time the loop resets. The only reason I've managed to stay sane so far is because I'm in this with my best friend, and the only other person I'm really friends with is Zoe, and even then, seeing her forget about me each loop... It's really maddening."

Sparx sighed before glancing back towards Spyro. "Tell me, Spyro... It's hard to see them like the way you used to, before the loops started up, right?"

Spyro glanced away, but gave a slight nod in agreement. Sparx kept an eye on him before looking back towards the sky.

"Well, then at least this shows one thing. Even though they may not feel the same as the ones we know, we still treat them as our friends. We know when we've gone too far when it comes to them, and it shows that, despite what these loops may do to us, we still have some form of grasp on ourselves."

"And really, I suppose that's the best we can do until whatever's causing this time warp stops." Sparx turned around, a grin on his face. "And who knows. With any luck, they'll hopefully start looping too, like Hunter did."

A silence fell over the two as Spyro took in Sparx's words. He never knew Sparx had such a philosophical side to him, but his words struck a cord. The dragon raised his head, silent for a few seconds before a soft smile appeared on his face.

"Thanks, Sparx. You always know how to cheer me up when I'm down."

"No problem. Anytime."

Spyro got to his paws, shaking his head. "I think I'm just going to try to keep things baseline and try to salvage whatever I can after what I made of myself this loop," he said, looking towards Sparx. "And I know for a fact what I'm going to do for the next loop."

Spyro sighed and began to walk. It would be some time before Red attacked, and in the meantime it would give him a while to think of a way he could make up for everything he'd done to everyone this loop. He knew there was likely no way he could patch things up with everyone. Even though they wouldn't remember after the reset, _he_ most certainly would. This would likely be a loop he would not soon forget for a good long while...

* * *

**Legends Loop 2.7**

Pokémon trainer Red sighed. Some loops were odd, what with the whole multiverse fusing shenanigans. His normal loop was nothing he couldn't get used to. Having to re-catch Pokémon he already caught was annoying, though the few of his Pokémon that were looping made it rather easy to meet up with them again. Dealing with Team Rocket and the other tons of villainous teams was also becoming rather easy, even when the levels of his Pokémon got reset, due to being savvy enough to keep a mountain's worth of vitamins and rare candies in his subspace pocket.

Of course, dealing with a dragon that looked like it had come right out of the pits of hell and was dead-set on causing the apocalypse was something completely new to him... For once.

Red looked up at the rather imposing gateway to the beast's lair. Stopping the apocalypse was nothing new to him, having personally taken down Team Galactic several times now. Dealing with non-looping big bads from other loops also wasn't too much of a problem, either. That still didn't stop the odd unnerved feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. Regardless, with a determined look, he leant his body on the door and began to push it open.

The area was dark. Why it was that evil beings of unimaginable proportions loved dark areas, he would never know. Then the lights flashed on, revealing a giant purple dragon.

"So," the demonic dragon announced in a low, gravely voice. "You are the child that has disrupted my plans. I've been expecting you."

This dragon, the 'Dark Master' as he referred to himself—' _Geez. This guy couldn't have chosen a more generic title if he tried'_ —came from a time before even Pokémon existed, if his loop memories were anything to go by. It was only recently he had managed to escape whatever hellhole he had been sealed in, which likely meant he didn't know much in the ways of Pokémon.

Red smirked, grabbing a Pokéball from his belt and tossing it into the air. In a flash of light, a black and blue deer-like creature appeared in front of him. It had taken Red a while to track down Xerneas, but he slowly got the feeling it was going to be worth it. The Dark Master merely looked on with an amused glance.

"Really, now? Do you think these pathetic beings you humans catch for your own amusement can harm me?"

Red smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do. Xerneas, Moon Blast!"

The Dark Master wore a grin that showed far too many sharp teeth than any being should ever have. He watched the Pokémon in question begin to glow before sending a wave of energy out in a futile attempt to defy him. However, said grin was quickly wiped off his face as he went stumbling back, a searing pain unlike any he had ever felt washing over him. Staggering to his paws, the Dark Master let out an inhuman growl.

_"You insolent little—!"_

Red watched as the dragon opened his maw and shot a purple beam out towards his group. Xerneas took a defensive stance as it was hit full force. The grin returned to the Dark Master's face as a cloud of dust kicked up in the lair. Then he was almost knocked off his paws once again at what he saw.

As the dust cleared, Red wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of the look the Dark Master had on his face. Xerneas stood defiantly, completely unfazed by the attack. The Dark Master tried his best to respond to this illogical chain of events, words escaping him before he finally managed to say something.

"What...what is this _abomination_?"

Red smirked. If there was one thing he absolutely loved above everything else in fused loops...

"A fairy type," Red said, crossing his arms. "Get wrecked."

...it was when the villains from other universes found out about type advantages.

* * *

**Classic Loop 2.7: (Feat: UkeleleNarwhal)**

"So, as a part of the Elite Four, I have Pokémon battles with trainers who come here?"

"Yes," Diantha explained, considering to call for a substitute. The most enthusiastic and unconventional Elite Four member she had ever known appeared to be a bit off today. And not in his usual way, either.

An actual dragon being a trainer was rather uncommon, and at times the other elites had called into question whether the purple elite was actually a Pokémon. Fortunately, his skills had proven him worthy to the Pokémon League of Kalos, and that was why Diantha did not fire Spyro on the spot when he asked with complete sincerity: "What the hell is a Pokémon?"

"Look, why don't you train with your Pokémon for a bit, it'll probably jog your memory." The champion left for her chamber. She didn't have time to deal with this, especially when that amazing child who had defeated Team Flare was coming today. This was a time to prepare.

Spyro gazed at the strange spherical devices left in his care. They were supposedly called "Pokéballs" and they kept "Pokémon" inside. _'Geez, these names sound like marketing spiel if you ask me.'_

He searched for a way to free the creature that was contained within. When he activated the button between the two hemispheres, a flash of light appeared, and in its place a colorful bipedal lizard stood.

"So, are you a Pokémon?"

"Are you alright, boss? How could you not know what I am?" The Druddigon balked at the strange question and showed concern for his trainer.

"Um, never mind that. So, remind me again how we handle challengers, I need to check if you remember." An admirably executed lie through the teeth.

"Well, we usually come out in a certain order, one at a time, and you tell me what to do, and if I end up in trouble or faint, you call me back and pull someone else out."

Spyro ran this through his mind and felt that this was a perfect loop to fool around with. He pulled the lizard down to his level and whispered to him his sly scheme.

"But that's against the rul—"

"Hey, Diantha wanted me to give her special guest a fight to remember, right?"

"But that isn't how we do things!"

"But it's how _I_ do things. Now, let's see what you guys can do, and I'll figure out the rest."

* * *

A lone trainer named Calem walked to the last remaining hallway, the Dragonmark chamber. _'Heh, those other elites got swept. I don't even need to worry about the champ.'_

With that thought, he took the elevator at the end of the corridor. Once the lift reached its destination, the trainer who had tackled Team Flare and saved the world from a doomsday weapon watched as a stone statue of a dragon exfoliated to reveal...a small purple dragon? His first reaction was to pull out his Pokédex and identify the creature that stood before him, which proved fruitless.

Spyro glared at the teenager across the arena, who appeared to be texting. "Hey, put down that phone, will ya?"

Calem looked around for the source of this voice, until the dragon explicitly made his presence known.

"Are you dense, or what? Look at the talking purple dragon, if you please."

The trainer gawked at the reptilian elite. When he'd heard that one of the Elite Four specialized in dragon types, he could have never imagined this.

"That's better. So, you came for a challenge, right?"

The boy nodded in affirmation.

"Of course you did. And since I'm your last elite before the champ, I feel that I should leave a lasting impression, which is why I thought of something special for you."

Spyro released his Noivern into the arena, and Calem released his Glaceon with a confident smirk. His facial expression morphed into that of shock, however, when Spyro himself glided into the arena and struck a battle pose with his draconic companion.

"The other elites may have stood by while their monsters kicked butt. Not me."

With that, a battle cry sounded from the large-eared wyvern, and Spyro looked up at his partner in crime. _'Time to blow this punk's mind!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Infinite Loops. Been a while... again. This time for a good reason. The space battles sister thread has really taken off in the last few days, and currently I and several other writers are working on a massive collab loop that will have to be broken up into individual chapters. What is this super loop about though? You'll just have to wait and see. Until then, consider these loops the 'prequel' loops to it. 
> 
> Anyways, for those wondering what Magical Calligraphy is, it's an ability Spyro picked up in the last game of the Classic Spyro series, 'Shadow Legacy'. In that game, it's said that purple dragons in the Classic setting have massive reserves and an affinity towards magic, and Magical Calligraphy was a way they could touch upon this. However, if the snip the person who actually played that game submitted was anything to go by, apparently it was very finicky to work with. As such, the 'Magic Command Line' is basically an improved version of it that's much more stable and allows Spyro to access a wider range of magical abilities. 
> 
> Pretty neat, that. I really liked that concept, as you can tell by the fact that I've accepted it into the collection of loops. Should be fun to play around with.
> 
> As always, if you want to contribute your own loop/snippet to this, either PM me so I can set up a docX to receive it, or post it to the space battles thread I have linked on my profile page.
> 
> Legend Loops:
> 
> 2.5: Always listen to your elders. They're always there to help you... Even if they have no idea what's really going on.
> 
> 2.6: "But the future refused to change..."
> 
> 2.7: Type advantages: Breaking other loops since 2014.
> 
> Classic Loops:
> 
> 2.5: "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!"
> 
> 2.6: And this is why you don't act like dick in the loops. Just because no else remembers after a reset doesn't mean you won't either. Good thing Spyro learned that now before he turned into another Sakura.
> 
> 2.7: Spyro better hope Calem doesn't have any fairy types on him...


	7. When two realms finally collide (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.

  **Fused Loop 1.1:**

**(Awkward Beginnings) (Feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

Spyro groaned, slowly opening his eyes as he raised his paw in front of his face to block out the sun. He glanced around. The first thing he noticed was he was in a bed. Quickly looking under his blanket, he let out a sigh of relief.

_'Looks like I'm trading places with Flame again.'_

Spyro sighed, falling back into his bed. Another break from his adventures sounded pretty good, though they weren't too bothersome now that he had done them so many times. Given a choice between that and something he actually _hadn't_ done a million times over, he was more than willing to take it. Covering up in the blankets, he rested his head on the pillow.

"Spyro! Time for breakfast!"

Spyro stirred, a frown as his face as he cuddled up in the pillows more. He didn't care about food. For now, all he wanted to do was rest. Hearing footsteps going by his room, his frown deepened at the thought of his parents—whoever they were for this loop—trying to get him up early. His frown slowly disappeared, though, as he heard the footsteps slowly get softer. Several seconds passed and he slowly began to feel himself slip back into sleep.

"Spyro! Breakfast!"

Spyro growled. If whoever his mother was this loop wanted him to leave this bed, she was going to have to come up here and _make_ him leave it. Spyro took a deep breath, relaxing a bit as several seconds passed. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps making their way to his room. Hearing the door open, he let out an annoyed sigh. Several more seconds passed before whoever was in the room finally spoke up.

"U-uh... Spy...ro...?"

The voice was clearly a male's voice, yet it sounded too young to be an adult dragon. Whoever was addressing him sounded rather confused too. Maybe it was another looper he hadn't found out about him yet, surprised to have the hero of the Dragon Realms as his brother. Regardless, he hoped whoever it was would take the hint that he just wanted to sleep in today.

"Um... Breakfast?"

Spyro growled. "Food later. Sleep now."

A few seconds passed as Spyro curled up into the bed. However, when he felt a paw touch his shoulder and gently shake him, he let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh, hey. Didn't you hear me? I said- _!?_ "

Spyro had finally been forced out from under the blanket he had buried himself under, turning around to glare at the dragon who was determined not to let him have his rest. However, as he caught sight of who was standing next to his bed, he nearly fell out of it in shock.

Jaw dropping as his eyes went wide, he saw that the dragon standing next to him...was himself.

Both dragons just stared at each other wide-eyed, neither one saying a single thing, frozen on the spot. Finally, the Spyro on the bed shook his head.

 _'Either I need more sleep than I thought, or these loops are starting to get flat out_ weird _...'_

* * *

Both Spyros stood at the dining table, awkwardly glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes. To say this was odd for both of them would have been a massive understatement. Had it not been for their mother for this loop calling to them and snapping them back to whatever warped reality this was, they likely would've still been frozen back up in the bedroom.

The Spyro on the left glanced over to his mother. She was light blue. In honesty, it was actually rather interesting to see Nina as a dragon. Had it not been for the duplicate, that would have been the highlight of this loop so far.

Nina smiled, heading over to the table and placing two bowls in front of them. Spyro raised an eyebrow as he looked at what appeared to be several small rings of wheat in it. Glancing over to the 'other' Spyro, he saw that he had already picked up a spoon and started eating, but he paused when he noticed his 'brother' was staring at him. Glancing back down at the bowl, Spyro brought his face down and started to take a few bites.

Raising back up, he paused, some milk and wheat rings on his face as he chewed. _'Milk and wheat... Odd combo. Barely something a dragon would eat. It's alright, though, I guess.'_

As he swallowed, he glanced over at the other Spyro. Having stopped eating, the other Spyro was now giving him a rather odd look. Then he quickly looked away and said nothing.

"Spyro, please use a spoon. We're not animals, after all."

Both Spyros looked at their 'mother'. One of the two smirked. "But I am using a spoon."

Spyro noticed the mischievous smirk on the other Spyro's face as he said that. Shaking his head, causing bits of wheats and milk to scatter, he looked at Nina, who had a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Uh, no. Not you, Spyro. The Spyro who just stuck his mouth in the bowl," she said before she lowered her head and sighed. "Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have let your father name you two. 'It'll be funny,' he said. 'They'd still know who we're addressing,' he said..."

Spyro looked at the other Spyro, frowning as his 'brother' smirked in amusement. Slightly caught off guard when Nina took a rag and wiped his face off, he glared at the other Spyro as he heard him chuckling.

Looking back down at the bowl, he noticed a spoon by it. He narrowed his eyes. Dragons were _not_ supposed to use these things. Regardless, seeing how Nina was now making sure to watch him, he doubted he could convince her otherwise and lowered his head in defeat. Slowly raising his paw, he attempted to pick up the utensil normally used by species that actually had _thumbs._ Claws fumbling as it kept slipping out of his paw, he narrowed his eyes, hearing the other Spyro chuckling at him for his inability to use something that was never designed for dragon use. Finally, likely through a stroke of pure luck, Spyro managed to grasp the spoon in such a way that it finally stayed in his paw.

Shakily moving his paw over to the bowl, he put the spoon in it and raised the odd milk and wheat concoction up. Trying his best to keep a good grasp on the spoon handle from the added weight, Spyro lowered his head in and attempt to take a bite.

CRUNCH!

Spyro started to chew, but noted there was an odd taste compared to before. looking down, he had saw that he had bitten the head of the spoon clean off the handle.

"Spyro, please. We're running out of spoons."

"What? He's just getting some iron in his diet."

Spyro glanced over to the other Spyro. There was an amused expression on his duplicate's face as he rested his head on his foreleg. Spyro narrowed his eyes before spitting the mashed-up spoon into the nearby trash. Closing his eyes and regaining his composure, he went back to eating the way dragons were _supposed_ to. Nina sighed as she watched Spyro stick his head in the bowl again.

 _'Eh... I suppose if it wasn't for their quirks, I'd never be able to tell them apart,'_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _'Note to self, though; if I ever have a pair of twins again, do_ not _let Flash name them.'_

* * *

"Have a nice day you two. _Oh!_ And I think Hunter was looking for both of you. Better not keep him waiting!"

Both Spyros waved goodbye to their loop mother as she closed the door to the house. Not a second after the door clicked closed, though, did both Spyros glare at each other.

_"Alright, who are you!? Who am I!? Who are you!?"_

Both Spyros paused, having asked those questions at the exact same time. After a few awkward seconds of silence, finally one of the Spyros spoke up again. "Alright, seriously! Who are you!?"

"I'm Spyro!"

"You can't be Spyro! _I'm_ Spyro!"

"How is that even possible!?"

"Beats me! Ugh, and here I thought the loop where Sparx had a second head was weird..."

"Wait, you're looping!? How!? You're just a duplicate created by this loop!"

"What do you mean I'm the duplicate!? _You're_ the duplicate!"

"I can't be the duplicate! I'm this universe's Anchor!"

"Wrong-o, buddy! _I'm_ this universe's Anchor!"

Both Spyros paused in their series of questions and accusations, eyeing each other oddly before they finally looked around at the scenery around them.

They appeared to be on what was a dirt road, some rather rustic looking temples and archways all over the place. Spyro quickly recognized them from the Dragon Temple, but gave the odd metallic pipes and flying metal discs in the air a confused glare. The other Spyro knew the pipes were carrying electrical currents to power the homes across the Realm, and the discs were obviously the Professor's mini-UFOs, but the temples seemed out of place. The Artisans were famous for their old world architecture, but the temples here were medieval-looking even by their standards.

Both Spyros looked at the odd world they were currently in before looking at each other, then back to the world around them. Both sighed, lowering their heads as they thought the same thing.

 _'This is going to be an_ interesting _loop...'_

* * *

"Ow! OW! UNCLE! _UNCLE!_ "

"Not so mouthy now, are ya'?"

Sparx chuckled, currently holding this odd anthropomorphic dragonfly to the floor with one of his arms forcefully held behind his back. So far, this loop had been pretty weird. Currently, he was the son of two of the most uncreative dragonflies when it came to naming ever. He'd woken up with a mutant dragonfly for a brother, and apparently Spyro seemed to be in the same situation from what his 'parents' had said.

Was that why he was currently trying to break this other Sparx's arm off? No. He could deal with having a mutant Sparx for a brother. However, his constant 'witty' taunts and teasing that _he_ was the weird-looking one was a completely different story.

"Sparx! Stop torturing your brother!"

"It's alright, mom! He's not torturing me!" Sparx said, a mischievous grin on his face as he looked at the door.

"Har-har! Very fun- _NY!_ " the mutant Sparx said, though the other Sparx was quick to put more pressure on his arm. "C'mon, man! _I SAID_ ** _UNCLE!_** "

" _Spaaaarrrx!_ "

"Oh, fine, fine!" Sparx said, releasing his grip on the other Sparx's arm.

The mutant Sparx was quick to fly away, ducking behind their bunk bed and poking his head out over it.

"Ha-ha!" he said, pointing to his 'brother'.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing! Nothing!"

Sparx smirked, crossing his arms. "I thought so."

* * *

Ember looked out the window at the new world she appeared to be in. Throughout the many loops, strange things had happened to her many times. Mostly they were minor things, though, like Dragon Village being a snowy place or the nursery having a different dragon working there. Until now, the strangest thing that had happened to her was that loop where she had replaced Spyro. Waking up in a completely different world, however, quickly replaced that as the crowner.

Walking away from the window, she looked around her room. So far it was mostly the same in that department. From her mother coming to wake her up, she could tell her parents were the same as always, too, so that was also a relief. Flame didn't appear to be in their family for this loop, though, as when she'd asked about him, her mother had just given her a confused look. Ember frowned. Despite how he annoyed her sometimes, not having him as part of her family was a fact that had depressed her greatly.

Ember exited her room, heading down the hallway. Looking around, she noted that her house was mostly the same, though the door to Flame's room didn't have any of his usual 'style choices' hanging on it. Knowing things would reset once the loop was over, and curious to see what it was being used for now that Flame wasn't occupying it, she couldn't resist taking a tiny peek. Knocking on the door out of habit and not hearing a response, she opened it.

Oddly enough, the room still appeared to be a bedroom, albeit a _much_ tidier version. There was none of the stuff that Flame liked scattered around the room anymore, and in that regard, it also meant one could _actually see the floor_ for once. Everything was surprisingly neatly kept. The dressers were actually closed, the sheets and blanket for his bed were _actually on his bed,_ the black dragoness that was currently on it was giving her a very odd look—

Ember paused, blinking as she finally realized the other dragon's presence. Both of them froze like deer caught in the headlights, neither saying anything. One could have cut the resulting awkwardness with a knife.

* * *

Spyro whistled. "Jeez, sounds like quite the world you come from, duplicate."

"I am _not_ the duplicate."

Both Spyros walked along the path to a nearby park. They refused to let the other out of their sight until they could figure out what was going on. One of the Spyros stopped, a smirk on his face. "Sorry, duplicate, but I clearly remember my world in great detail. After several hundred loops, I have it burned into my brain so much that I doubt some loop variation could fake it."

"How can you be so sure? For all you know, that's exactly what the loop wants you to think," Spyro said, pausing as he turned with a glare to the other Spyro. "And no offense, but your 'world' sounds like something out of a youngling's story book."

"You realize I can apply the same logic to you, right? And your world sounds like every generic medieval fantasy ever. Your point?"

Spyro growled as the other Spyro put his paw to his mouth, trying to hide a devilish grin.

"Alright, now see here—!"

_SHING!_

_"GAH!"_

Spyro jumped as something popped out of the ground next to him. On instinct, he turned around and used his earth element to draw on some of the natural energy from the ground around him. A green pulse of energy shot out from his mouth at whatever had popped out of the ground. Spyro took a few seconds to catch his breath before he saw a stream of water shooting up from the ground and into the sky from the small hole he had caused. He glanced over to the other Spyro, who was still grinning devilishly.

"Dude... _Relax,_ " he said, glancing at the newly created fountain. "That was a _sprinkler_. It's used for _watering grass._ " Spyro rolled his eyes. "Seriously, if you're going to freak out over every little modern thing, you're going to draw attention to yourself pretty quickly."

Spyro narrowed his eyes at the other Spyro's devious grin. From what he had told him, his world was a lot more advanced when it came to small odd contraptions used to make life easier. From what he could gather from that, this loop seemed to be a combination of both their two—apparent—worlds. Despite being here now for a good few hours, he _still_ was having a hard time grasping a lot of it. Honestly, he didn't see what a dragon needed with a lot of these overly advanced things.

"Yo! Spyro!"

Both Spyros turned their head, looking over to see two Sparxs flying towards them. One of them, the one with the more anthropomorphic body, flew towards the two quicker than the other.

"Spyro! Oh man, I'll never take you for granted as a brother ever again!"

"Wrong Spyro."

Sparx paused, having already hugged one of the Spyros on the forehead. Seeing the smirk on his face, he turned to the other one.

"Spyro! I'll never take you for granted as a brother again!"

Spyro narrowed his eyes as Sparx flew to his actual adopted brother and hugged his forehead. He groaned. "Okay, this is getting confusing."

"What's confusing? I already told you, you're the duplicate."

Spyro let out an annoyed sigh as he lowered his head. The other Spyro had a devious grin on his face for the umpteenth time in a row.

"Can we forget about who's the duplicate? _Please?_ "

"Fine with me. Duplicate."

Spyro face-palmed as the other Spyro chuckled deviously. So far this loop had been nothing but confusion, frustration and annoyance, all in that exact order.

* * *

"Um... So, Cynder. You're a looper too?"

Ember looked around awkwardly as she walked down the path. This 'Cynder' didn't appear to be the talkative sort. It wasn't until their 'mother' had come upstairs to tell them Hunter was looking for them that they'd actually broken the initial awkward silence. Finding out they were sisters for this loop didn't help things much. For example, despite her best attempts to make this 'Cynder' feel more welcome, she still didn't respond much unless directly asked a question of some sort. It wasn't until she had mentioned Spyro that Cynder had finally started asking questions herself.

"Y-yeah."

Cynder stayed a little behind Ember as she walked. This was the first loop things were radically different than what she had become used to, and she was having a bit of a hard time adjusting to it. What had most surprised her, though, was the fact that this dragon, who was about her and Spyro's age at the start of their loops, was a looper too. Was it even possible other dragons had survived the temple raid on the Year of the Dragon? Maybe. Even if that was the case, though, how was it she didn't recognize who she was? Considering what Malefor had made her do in the base timeline—her infamous acts as the Terror of the Skies—she thought Ember would have at least acknowledged it. Ancestors knew everyone else did. Even after she had helped Spyro save the world, _that_ hadn't fully redeemed her in the eyes of some.

Yet, as she watched this pink dragoness look back at her with her blue eyes and soft smile, it was almost like, to this girl, none of that had ever happened.

"How many loops have you been through?" Ember asked, a soft smile on her face.

"Uh... Not sure. Lost count after eight hundred something."

"That long, huh? Odd that I haven't seen you yet in any of the loops I was awake for."

_'That's putting it mildly.'_

Cynder shook her head as Ember led the way. This loop was so confusing...

* * *

Hunter kept rereading the note he had awoken with at the start of the loop. No matter how many times he reread it, though, it still confused him greatly.

'Meet up with the Spyros, Sparxs, Ember and Cynder. I'll explain everything once you do.

\- Your world's admin.'

 _"The_ Spyro _s_? Sparx _s_? Who the heck is Cynder? And who is this 'admin' character?" Hunter thought to himself aloud. Shaking his head, he looked off the balcony of his apartment in what was some sort of combo temple-apartment-complex medieval-themed...place. He _still_ didn't quite get it.

He was curious, though. This was the first time he had ever woken up in a loop like this. Spyro had warned him that all loops wouldn't be _exactly_ the same, but he didn't think they would be _this_ different. And this 'admin'... Part of him was curious over who exactly this guy was, and why he thought there were apparently two Spyros and Sparxs.

Spyro had told him that usually it was best to play along until you could figure out if the events set up in the loop were going south or not, or until you encountered another looper. Even if he were to play along with this 'admin' character, how was he even supposed to _begin_ to locate them in a city as large as this?

Looking back into his apartment, he saw a megaphone on the table. He didn't know for sure, but somehow he felt like this 'admin' guy had something to do with that. Walking over, he picked it up and glanced at it. Did this admin guy really expect him to shout out at the top of his lungs to catch everyone's attention? That would likely get him kicked out of his apartment!

Then again...it wasn't really _his_ apartment, either. This was just something the loop had created, and even if he got kicked out, what would it really matter? Once the loop was over with, things would just reset back to the way they always were. There wouldn't really be any consequences in the long run.

A devilish grin appeared on Hunter's face as he clutched the megaphone with both hands.

* * *

_"Yo! Spyro! Sparx! Get your butts over here!"_

From the park both Spyros were at, shortly after Spyro was done explaining to the other Spyro exactly what a 'streetlight' was, they looked up at the sky where the voice was calling them. Spyro's eyes went wide. Though the tone was much gruffer and had some odd accent to it that he couldn't quite place, it sounded oddly familiar. The other Spyro, however, was quick to identify it for him.

"Hunter!"

"Hunter?" the other Spyro asked, turning to the Spyro who had identified the voice. He _knew_ the voice had sounded familiar, yet at the same time something about it was _off_.

"Yeah. What's wrong, _duplicate_? Don't you have a Hunter in your supposed 'world'?" Spyro asked, a devious grin on his face.

Spyro narrowed his eyes. "Of course Hunter is in my world! I'll have you know he was a very respectful archer in his tribe! From what I heard before these loops started, he was next in line to be the leader of it!"

The other Spyro paused. Blinking several times over just how flat out _wrong_ that statement was at summing up the Hunter he knew, he tried to say something in response, but no matter how many times he opened his mouth, he couldn't find any way to possibly respond to that. Before he could think of something to say, Hunter did it for him.

_"OH! And Ember! You're suppose to come here too! Also, whoever this Cynder person is! I have no idea who the heck you are, but get your butt over here too!"_

Had it not been for this loop being weird enough as is, the Spyro who had just described Hunter would have found it odd how Hunter didn't know who Cynder was. Before he could think about it further, he noticed the other Spyro starting to walk off in the opposite direction.

"Wha— _hey_! Where are you going?" Spyro asked, turning around and quickly getting in front of the other Spyro. "Hunter wants us to meet him."

The other Spyro gave Spyro a flat look. "Listen, no offense, Hunter _is_ one of my best friends and all...but if _Ember_ is going that way, then I'm going _this_ way." He pushed past Spyro as he continued to walk on by.

Spyro narrowed his eyes. "Why? Who's Ember?"

Spyro paused before he looked at Spyro out of the corner of his eye. Not a second later, a devious grin appeared on his face. Turning around, he tried his best to hide it. "Tell ya' what. Why don't you go meet her and find out? I'm sure Hunter is only expecting one set of Spyros and Sparxs, after all..."

"Now, now, Spyro," Sparx said, floating in front of him. "There's pulling pranks, and then there's just being cruel."

Spyro narrowed his eyes at Sparx, while the other Spyro just continued to look on in blank confusion.

_"Hey! Shouting out of this megaphone is kind of fun! Wooooooooooooh!"_

Sparx looked at the mutant Sparx hiding behind the other Spyro. That Sparx quickly ducked behind his Spyro with a shriek when he saw him turn to him. Sparx rolled his eyes.

"Ember is Spyro's, well, _my_ Spyro's, number one fangirl. Pro-tip: considering you two are basically twins this loop, I would suggest avoiding her at all cost," Sparx said with a chuckle.

The other Spyro paused before narrowing his eyes at the Spyro who was attempting to walk off again. Admittedly, he didn't like the idea of having fans himself, having turned down the offer to be worshipped for many loops now. However, this other Spyro outright refusing to help Hunter because of one his fans being there still struck him as incredibly shallow. Looking back to see the look he was giving him, the other Spyro narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, don't give me that look!" Spyro said, turning around and throwing his forepaws up into the air. "You have no idea what she's like!" he said, placing his hand on his head. "'Oh, Spyro! Stop playing around! I know you really like me!' 'Oooh! That gem's pretty! I bet it would look nice on an engagement ring!' 'Ah, Spyro! You're so awesome!'" He paused. "...Okay, admittedly that last part isn't _so_ bad, but still!"

The other Spyro was still unimpressed, glaring at his duplicate. Spyro groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Fine! If you want to see it firsthand, be my guest. As for me, I'm gonna' spend the rest of this loop at Dragon Shores... If this place even _has_ a Dragon Shores."

_"Hey! I think I can see Elora's house from here!"_

Spyro scowled, a faint green glow illuminating from him as the other Spyro went to dart off. With a quick motion of slightly twisting his paw, the ground under the other Spyro's feet shot up and grabbed his paws.

"Wha— _HEY! What the heck!?"_ the other Spyro said, the ground rising up and encasing his body in a solid rock ball.

Spyro smirked. There was a lot to learn about the more obscure powers of the earth element, but from what he learned from that loop where he had studied extensively under Terrador in the earth element, harnessing the energy of the earth was only a fraction of what could be done with it. A greater part of it actually consisted of manipulating the ground.

The other Spyro scowled, head poking out from the boulder he was encased in, glaring at his duplicate. "Let me go!" he demanded, letting out a low growl.

"Sorry, but if Hunter wants us all to be there, I think he means _everyone_. Duplicates included," Spyro said, a rare smirk on his face at getting to throw this Spyro's insult back at him.

"You know, speaking of Hunter—" the mutant Sparx started, but was quickly interrupted.

_"You spin me right round, baby! Right round! Like a record goes round, round, round, round!"_

"Is he _drunk_ or something!?" the Sparx currently hiding behind Spyro finished, raising his head as he looked towards the source of his voice.

"I have to admit, even considering the loop variation, Hunter sounds rather _out there_ this loop."

"Really? Because that sounds like the Hunter I know for sure," the Spyro encased in a boulder said. "Which means that likely _is_ my Hunter, which likely means this is a variation of _my_ world, which makes _you_ the duplicate! HAH! _Victory is mine!_ "

Spyro glanced over to the Spyro trapped in the stone with an annoyed frown, placing his paw on the boulder and rolling it over until his head was upside down.

"Hey!" the trapped Spyro said, a scowl on his face.

Spyro shook his head, grabbing the other Spyro's tail poking out from the boulder. He began dragging him to wherever Hunter was yelling from. Hopefully, once he got there, this loop would start making something resembling a lick of sense.

_"HEY! The local store has a 'buy one, get two free' special on canned ham going on!"_

Though, somehow, he highly doubted that.

* * *

_"I BEEEEELIIIIIIVE I CAN FLYYYYYYYYYY!"_

Ember stood silent as she watched Hunter sing or shout any random thing that came to mind. A sheepish look on her face, she finally spoke up. "Um, Hunter. Maybe it isn't such a good idea to keep yelling like that. You might get whoever runs this place angry at you."

"Oh, c'mon. Not like it matters once the loop ends," Hunter said, turning around to look at Ember. With a smirk, he quickly headed over to her. "Go ahead, try it!"

"Uh, that's o _KAY. I'D RATHER NOT, PLEASE."_

Hunter chuckled, pulling the megaphone away from Ember's mouth and going back out onto the balcony. Ember shook her head. Looking over to Cynder, she saw her sitting in the corner of the room with eyes wide as she stared at Hunter.

_"This just in! There is a car pile-up on some freeway, like, several buildings away from my apartment! I'd recommend not taking it!"_

Cynder said nothing. At first she thought this Hunter was the result of the loop variation, like how there had been that one loop where Volteer had been almost meek and soft-spoken. However, when he'd started mentioning the loops and didn't seem to recognize her at all, she'd started to become a little worried. The only possible explanation she could come up with was that these loops had caused Hunter to go insane. The only bug in that theory was that, of all the times they'd encountered Hunter during the loops, he'd never once showed signs of being aware of the loop, let alone acted even _remotely_ like this. She'd thought about asking Hunter when he had started looping, but so far she hadn't really had a chance to do so.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Both Cynder and Ember turned their heads. A series of loud thumps, like someone was dragging something up the stairs, was coming from the hallway. Shortly after, the door swung open. A familiar shade of purple came walking in backwards. Finally seeing the purple dragon she hadn't seen since the loops had started, Ember's face lit up.

"Oh! Hi, Spy—!"

And that's when what Spyro was carrying came into view.

"... _ros?_ "

The room went uncomfortable silent as Spyro rolled the Spyro encased in stone into view. The trapped Spyro's eyes shifted around uncomfortably, while Ember and Cynder's eyes darted between the two Spyros in the room. From his balcony, Hunter glanced back, eyes wide at the sight. Not a second later, he went back to his megaphone.

_"Evil doers beware! There are TWO Spyros here!"_

Asides from Hunter's ramblings on the megaphone, the room remained silent. Cynder kept attempting to say something, but every time her mouth opened, no words found their way out before she closed it again. Meanwhile, Ember just sat wide-eyed, partially confused, partially thanking the loop gods for this variation. Finally, the Spyro who wasn't trapped spoke up.

"I'm not sure how to explain this... The simplest way I can put it: I apparently have a duplicate this loop."

"You're the duplicate!"

Despite the sudden outburst from the other Spyro, the room went silent once again.

_"Watch out, folks! There are duplicates in our mist!"_

Well, except for Hunter.

"If I may interject..."

Most of the beings in the room jumped at the sound of the voice. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, a brown dragon with a yellow underbelly materialized in the room. The dragon had three blue marks on his face, one on the forehead and the other two on the very edge of his cheeks. The dragon had a droll look about him, almost like he had been forced to be there. The oddest part about this dragon was that, while most of them had frills that started from their forehead and ended down at their tail, he possessed none. Instead, he had what appeared to be black hair on his head that stuck up in a long slight curl at the front.

The group looked on in confusion at the newcomer, who glanced around the room with a lazy look about him. Finally, the Spyro trapped in the stone said what they were all thinking. "Who the heck are you?"

The dragon's face curled in annoyance. He sat down and crossed his arms. "Name's Ihy, the local admin of your two loops."

The group was silent as Ihy sat in the middle of the room. Narrowing his eyes, he scratched his head and groaned. "Geez, don't everyone speak up at once now."

While most of the group was silent, the Spyro that wasn't trapped in the rock was the first to speak up. "So, you're the guy controlling our loop?"

"More or less," Ihy said, a dull look in his eyes as he glanced blankly around the room. "For the most part, I just watch over it and make sure it doesn't go nuts during a reset. That, and make sure you behave yourselves." Ihy glared over to the Spyro trapped in the boulder.

"What?" the trapped Spyro asked in a nonchalant tone.

Ihy shook his head before looking back to the group at large. "Anyways, I'm just here because the higher-ups wanted me to hand these out."

Ihy snapped his claws, opening his sub-space pocket. Reaching in, he tossed a few books out. As they fell into a messy pile, he closed his sub-space pocket and gave the group a dull look.

"Basically, they're 'Looping for Dummies' books. Brought a few extras so you can hand them out to any future loopers in your universes," he said in a flat tone. In all honesty, he had really brought extras because he didn't want to be arsed to do this again in the 'quote-on-quote' future. "I would suggest reading chapter six several times. Loop crashes are a pain for us admins to deal with."

Though a bit reluctant at first, Ember went over to the pile and picked up a book. Opening it to chapter six, she looked at the chapter title.

_'All the 'Do Not's - How to Avoid Breaking the Universe'_

Ember looked up from the book and back to Ihy. The admin said nothing, just nodding his head as if to confirm that 'yes, that is actually possible to pull off.'

"So, anyways..." Ihy said, looking around. "Now that those are out of the way, you guys got any alcoholic drinks here? You have no idea how much of a pain in the arse it was to set this loop up."

"Whoa, hold on there!" the more anthropomorphic of the Sparxs said, flying out from behind Spyro and up to the admin's face. "You still have a lot of questions to answer for us, buddy! For example, why are there duplicates of us?"

"We're not the duplicates! You guys are!"

"We're _not_ duplicates!"

_"Shuddup, both of you!"_

Ihy groaned, scratching his head. This was quickly turning into a serious pain in the arse. "I would think that'd be rather obvious."

Seeing the blank looks he was getting, he let out an irritated sigh.

"For Pete's sake, do I really have to spell it out for you guys? The reason there are two sets of Spyros and Sparxs is because there are two worlds that have you in them."

An awkward silence filled the room as the two Spyros gave each other an odd look. Ihy let out another annoyed groan. The glazed look in his eyes was all the group needed to know that he wasn't big on explanations.

"Look, it's like this. You two both know about the branches of Yggdrasil basically being alternate realities, right?"

Both Spyros gave a nod.

"Well, think of it like this. Both your worlds are on the same branch of Yggdrasil, like inches apart. Stuff like this isn't unheard of, but it's really rare. Normally, when it comes down to similar worlds, one of the beings in it who has a counterpart in a greater part of those worlds is selected. Two almost identical beings looping is an oddity, let alone being their worlds' respective anchors," Ihy said, scratching the back of his head as he glanced dully around. "That's another one of the reasons I had to come down here. The other admins felt like it would make processing this easier if heard from someone who has a good idea of what's going on."

"So why did they send you?"

Sparx laughed as the mutant Sparx looked on smugly. He had to admit, he actually _could_ be pretty funny when it wasn't directed at himself.

Ihy growled, glaring at the Sparxs.

The Spyro who wasn't in the rock looked over to his mirror image before looking back at Ihy. "So, you're saying this dragon is me from another world?"

"What are you? Deaf? I just said that."

Spyro frowned, while his alternate dimensional counterpart started chuckling to himself.

"I don't know about you," the Spyro trapped in the rock said, a cheeky grin on his face, "but so far, I like our admin."

Spyro just shook his head before looking back at Ihy...to find that the dragon admin wasn't there anymore.

"Huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow before looking around. "Where did he—?"

The sound of a can opening echoed out throughout the room, followed by the sound of a refrigerator door closing. Ihy came walking back from the kitchen, a can of beer firmly in his paw. He paused, glancing around the room as all eyes were on him.

"...What?" he asked, his expression going flat. "Not like it's going to be here after the loop ends, anyway."

The Spyro that wasn't trapped watched as Ihy quickly started downing the alcoholic beverage, an annoyed expression on his face. For someone whose job involved keeping their universes stable, he didn't exactly inspire confidence in his position. He glanced over to his Sparx, who was giving the loop admin an odd look.

"You know, speaking of that, what the heck is up with this loop?" Sparx asked, flying up next to Ihy. "I knew there would be weird loops, but this is just—"

"It's a fused loop between your two worlds, dumbass," Ihy interrupted, a flat expression on his face. "I figured that'd be obvious with the whole 'two Spyros' thing."

Spyro watched as Sparx pouted. He could hear the other Spyro and his Sparx chuckling in the background. Spyro narrowed his eyes. "Just because it was obvious is no excuse for being rude."

"Then stop asking stupid questions."

Spyro growled, watching as Ihy lazily went over to the couch and sat down. The dragon finished his can of beer and tossed it on the ground.

"Anyways, my work here is done," he said, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. "Feel free to do whatever for the remainder of this loop."

"Wha—wait!" Spyro said, walking over to Ihy. "Shouldn't you be getting back to wherever you came from to watch over the loop?"

Ihy gave him an annoyed glance before nonchalantly waving his paw. "Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, after the amount of crap I had to do to get rid of Malefor for this loop, I deserve a bit of a break."

Ihy sat up, giving Spyro a serious look. "Seriously. Don't expect me to do that at request. You have no idea of half the crap I needed to do to get rid of that psycho." Ihy laid back down, starting to flip through the channels. "Bleh, two thousand, five hundred lines of code, having to go _into_ my terminal to make sure everything was working properly, and then the spork. A freaking _spork_ of all things. I swear..."

Spyro tuned out the admin's ramblings as he looked back at the group. He saw Cynder staring awkwardly around the room. He then looked at the pink dragoness who was already looking over the book they had been given, and then to what was likely his Hunter's alternate dimensional self. The cheetah had already started to eye the megaphone again.

And then there was his alternate dimensional self. The flat expression on his face as he sat idly in the boulder was starting to rub Spyro the wrong way.

"You know, just saying, you can let me go anytime now."

"Huh? Oh, right!"

Spyro walked over to the boulder, briefly glowing green for a second before he brought his paw down on it. As the rocky chunks broke away, the now freed Spyro did a cat-like a stretch as he groaned.

"Freaking finally," he muttered before turning to Hunter. "Anyways. Hey, Hunter! You remember that one thing we had planned for a future loop?"

Hunter smirked. "You mean the thing with the Professor's mash potato cannon we asked him to make that one loop?"

"Yep!" Spyro said, a devious smirk on his face. "I still have it in my subspace pocket. Considering this place won't be here next loop, how about we pull what we had planned off this loop?"

"Heck yeah!"

Spyro felt an eye twitch coming on as he watched his alternate self pull some sort of cylinder thing out of his subspace pocket. From what he could gather, despite their similar appearances, he and this other Spyro couldn't be any more different, and from the sound of things, this Hunter was also in the same boat. Spyro face-palmed.

Somehow, he got the feeling this was going to be a _long_ loop.

"Now, hold on," Spyro said, looking at his counterpart over by Hunter. "You just learned that there's a whole other world with counterparts to my...your... Whatever! What I'm trying to say is, you just learned there's an alternate universe of your own world with people you likely know in it, and your fist instinct, instead of finding out about it, is to launch _mash potatoes_ at people?"

"Yeah. So?" his counterpart said nonchalantly, looking back at him. "I mean, our worlds are stuck in a time loop that occasionally fuses our worlds with other universes. Honestly, finding a universe that has a stick-in-the-mud version of myself is one of the lesser weird things that has happened to me so far."

Spyros face went flat as he face-palmed. He let out a sigh, seeing that Hunter and the other Spyro were heading towards the kitchen. _'How this dragon can be me from another world, I'll never know.'_

Spyro shook his head before heading over to the other Spyro. Just as he was about to load some potatoes into whatever that thing was, Spyro got in front of him.

"No," he said flatly.

"What?" the other Spyro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to have someone who is basically me from another universe launch mash potatoes at people!"

"What? Why not!?"

"Because I said so!"

"And what gives you that right!?"

"Because you're me!"

"So!? By that train of logic, I can tell you to do or not do stuff too! And I'm telling you to launch mash potatoes at people!"

"I'm not going to launch mash potatoes at people!"

"Why not!?"

"Because I actually have something called _common sense!"_

"As well as a stick up your—"

"SPYRO!"

_"What!?"_

Both Spyros broke out of their argument at Hunter's call. Hunter paused, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, no, my Spyro," Hunter said before he sighed. "Okay, this is going to get confusing..."

"If I may interject again," Ihy said, poking his head over the couch. "I think I have a solution for that."

All eyes in the room were on Ihy. The admin finished off his latest can and tossed it on the floor. "Back up at Yggdrasil, we admins usually have code words we use to help differentiate between similar worlds like yours."

He pointed to one of the Spyros. "For your world, we usually refer to it as 'classic', because it was the first part of that branch of Yggdrasil."

'Classic' Spyro smirked. "A-ha! So this guy here _is_ a duplicate of me!"

The unmarked Spyro frowned, giving Classic a flat glare. Ihy groaned.

"Would you knock it off with the duplicate bull—" Ihy shook his head. "Anyways, for you," he said, pointing at the unmarked Spyro. "Since your world has a more mystical, medieval vibe to it, we usually refer to it as 'Legend' or some variation of it."

'Legend' Spyro stood in indifference for a few seconds before a slight smile appeared on his face. He had to admit, he kind of liked the sound of it. Gave a rather mystical vibe to it.

"So... Now that that's taken care of... Mash potato cannon?" Hunter asked, holding the odd device up.

All it took was a glare from Legend Spyro to tell him that it wasn't going to be a thing this loop. Classic Spyro frowned, the flat glare he was giving not going unnoticed by Legend. Shaking it off, Classic smirked.

"No problem. I still have a million other ideas in my pocket space," he said, a mischievous grin on his face. "Wanna launch operation water balloon storm?"

Legend narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure exactly what that was, but he could tell he wouldn't like it from the sound of it alone.

"No," he said flatly, getting in front of Classic.

"Oh, come on!"

"No."

"Who are you to tell me tha—?!"

Ihy groaned, laying down on the couch again. Sparx might have been Legend Spyro's adopted brother, but with how much the two Spyros seemed to bicker, it wouldn't be too far off if people mistook them for actual twins.

"Yo! I don't care what you dragons get up to this loop!" Ihy finally said, poking his head over the couch. "However, if you two are going to spend the entire time arguing, can you please kindly take it somewhere else so I can watch TV in peace?"

The two purple dragons paused, while Hunter merely scratched his head. "Isn't this technically my apartment, though?"

"Yeah, but I'm the guy who brought this place into existence in the first place. As such, I believe I get some 'admin privilege' or something like that," Ihy said flatly, laying back down on the couch.

Legend Sparx narrowed his eyes. "Somehow, I get the feeling that's not how that works."

"Eh, whatever," Classic said, nonchalantly waving his paw. "Not like we'll be spending a lot of time here anyways."

Classic Spyro started to walk towards the door. "C'mon Hunter," he said, turning back to look at the cheetah. "Let's go."

"Wait, where are you going?" Legend asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Away from you," Classic said flatly, glaring at Legend. "It's pretty clear that if I'm going to have _any_ fun this loop, I need to get far away from you."

Legend groaned, a frown on his face. Classic gave a devilish grin before he started to head towards the door again. "Anyways, like I said, we're out of here—"

"Ah, Spyro!"

Classic cringed, pausing mid-stride when he heard the voice speak his name. In all the confusion and exposition, he had completely forgotten about a certain pink dragon's presence in the room. Ember had spent most of her time in the room so far looking over the book, spending a good amount of time just taking everything in. However, hearing the dragon she had been looking for the past several loops about to leave snapped her back to reality.

Running up next to Classic, she smiled. "I almost forgot. I've been looking for you. I haven't seen you since the loops started up!"

"Oh, really? How odd," Classic said, a half-hearted sheepish grin on his face.

"Yeah. I was really starting to get worried," Ember said, a soft tone to her voice. Smiling, she moved up a bit closer. "So, how have you been?"

Classic's eyes darted around as he leant back a little. He cleared his throat, noticing Ember's smile widening. "U-uh... I've been alright. Sparx and I have adapted to the loops rather well."

Legend could only watch on with blank expression. Classic kept shuffling backwards as this pink dragoness invaded his personal space. Although the dragon receiving the unwanted attention was more or less himself, he couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"That's nice to hear," Ember said, keeping uncomfortably close to Classic. "So..." her voice took on a lower tone, her blue eyes having a seductive spark to them. "Mind if I tag along with you this loop?"

"U-ummm... Sorry, Ember, but uh..." Classic muttered, his eyes darting around as he desperately tried to figure a way out of this situation. Finally, his gaze fell on his counterpart and a light bulb lit in his mind.

"I have to help this other me get adapted to this new world!"

"Wha-?"

Before Legend could say anything, Classic ran up to him and put his paw around him.

"Yeah, poor guy doesn't even have the faintest clue when it comes to technology! Did you know he blew up a sprinkler before we got here?" Classic said, a sheepish grin on his face. "Bet he would have also blown up a streetlight had it been night time!"

Legend glared at Classic, but Classic didn't care. He had found a way to get away from his number one fangirl, and he was going to do anything to take it.

Ember paused, but wasn't really deterred. "Well, I'll help. I'm actually pretty good with technology."

"Sorry, Ember, but if this guy will nuke a sprinkler because it surprised him, there's no telling _what_ he'll do!"

Legend let out an annoyed groan as he glared at Classic. "Hey, now hold on a—"

"Anyways, I better go teach him how vending machines won't attempt to eat you, _see you later 'kaythanksbye!_ "

"Wha— _ACK!"_

Before anyone could say another word, Classic was off with Legend in tow. Classic Sparx smirked, flying towards the door and giving the room one last wave before he left.

"Hey! Spyro, wait up!" Hunter called, running after the group.

Ember stood silent for a few seconds before her body began to droop as a frown found its way onto her face. Now safe from Classic Sparx, Legend Sparx poked his head out from behind Cynder.

"Jeez, I haven't see a dragon bolt that fast since that one loop where I dropped a giant Paper Mache spider on Cyril," Sparx said, scratching the back of his head.

Cynder was silent as she took in the scene. She wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but now the room had pretty much emptied in a matter of seconds. She was still trying to process the whole 'other world' thing, and now lost in a new world she didn't understand, she felt a bit out of place. Shaking her head, she got up and headed for the door. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do, but finding Spyro, _her_ Spyro, was on the top of the list.

Ember stood silent for a few seconds before she noticed Cynder exciting the room. As she excited the hall, Ember got up and quickly followed her.

"Umm... Excuse me," Ember said, catching up to her.

Cynder turned her head, a blank look on her face. Ember hunkered down a bit, her blue eyes opened wide as she had a slight frown on her face.

"Is... Is it alright if I tag along with you?" she asked, her voice soft. "I don't really know this place all that well, and everyone else who knows about the time loops have already left..."

Cynder stood silent for a few seconds, her face remaining expressionless as she stared at Ember.

"... Alright," she said, her tone of voice sounding more harsh than she had intended.

Regardless, a small smile appeared on Ember's lips as she tagged along behind Cynder.

With the room now quiet, Ihy sighed. "Thought they'd never leave..." he muttered before he began flipping through the channels.

At the very edge of the room, Sparx crossed his arms. He didn't like being left behind, but considering that other Sparx was with his brother at the moment, and Cynder also tended to be annoyed by him, he was willing to make an exception just this once. Glancing over at the electrical appliances, he raised an eyebrow.

_'Wonder what these things do...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And after that long time it took to update, managed to get another one out relatively quickly. In my defense, I have a good part of this collab stockpiled on my computer at the moment so... yeah.
> 
> Anyways, with the whole world fusing shenanigans, I'm pretty sure we all knew this was coming eventually. Considering that, we (the writers working on this arc) decided to go all out on it and make it a full blown story arc that will be going on for a few several chapters instead of a few snippets like how most loops handle it. Really, this thing is turning out to be a fanfic in its own right, considering as of posting this we're barely one-third done writing this arc. I was considering posting some chapters with the usual looping shenanigans in between this arc, but considering a lot of the snips we've come up with while writing this reference this arc in some way, I'd rather prefer avoiding spoilers if I can. Even though that's how most Infinite Loop fics handle it, I'm OCD when it comes to proper continuity. 
> 
> Also, as explained in the fic, Admins are the people who run the loops to make sure resets work (semi-)perfectly without any major problems. They're usually based off of mystical deities from ancient cultures. In this case, Ihy is based after the Ancient Egyptian god of music and beer. That alone should tell you what both looping worlds are in for in the future. Don't worry though, Ihy isn't going to become a regular. One of the rules of writing an Infinite Loops fic is that the canon loopers always come first, and Admins can only appear when they're really needed for a plot point. 
> 
> Going to be handling the "snippet" titling a bit different then normal for this arc. For each major part of this arc, the specific title for that part of the arc will be posted at the start of it, with each author who worked on that part being mentioned at the start. That way things don't become disjointed but pointing out which author wrote which specific part of the ship.
> 
> Anyways, looks like things have gotten off to a rocky start for both Spyros. Hopefully that doesn't have any dark consequences in the "future", so to speak...


	8. A Classic VS A Legend pt. 1 (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.

**Fused Loop 1.1 (continued)**

**A Classic VS a Legend pt. 1: (Feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

Legend liked to think that he was prepared for almost any experience. Even in the baseline, he had experienced some rather shocking revelations. Discovering he was a purple dragon destined to save the world, finding out that the evil dragoness that was tearing the world a new one was actually a young dragon forced into it against her will, finding out the _real_ bad guy was _also_ a purple dragon, and having to pull _the entire world_ back together after some ancient evil tried to blow it up, to name a few.

But now, as he was dragged halfway across a town full of mechanical devices he couldn't even begin to understand, by what was basically himself with fewer brain cells and without the word 'responsibility' as part of his dictionary, he was beginning to realize that these loops had a _lot_ more in store for him than he could ever even begin to imagine.

Classic continued to run, dragging Legend by his tail. He kept on running until he felt like he was far away from his 'number one fan', and even then he ran some more. Finally, close to the park where this had all started, Classic slid to a stop, letting go of Legend. Due to the momentum, Legend went tumbling. Grunting, he slowly picked himself up and glared at his Classic counterpart.

"Okay... What the heck!?" Legend yelled, moving closer to his Classic counterpart and staring him straight in the eyes.

Classic rolled his eyes, nonchalantly waving his paw. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"For what!? Using me as a glorified excuse to ditch one of your friends!? Separating me from the only other people I know in this loop!?"

"Hey, you don't know what Ember's like!" Classic spat, glaring at his Legend counterpart. "You may not have many fangirls in your world. Shocking, I know—" Legend Spyro growled at Classic's comment— "But let me give you a low down on what it's like. Ember's always hitting on me, and she rarely leaves me alone if I'm even _remotely_ in her general area. It's so annoying!"

"So?" Legend snapped. "First; what does that have to do with me? You dragged me away from _your_ problem and _my_ friends. Not only that, but you ran like a coward! Second, and what makes the former even worse, is that I was under the impression that she was your friend. In other words, you just hurt her feelings for no reason other than your own cowardice! You need to grow up!"

"What did you call me!?" Classic said, puffs of smoke starting to flow out his nostrils. "I'll have you know I'm considered one of the biggest heroes in my world! I've taken down more bad guys than most of my world's elders combined!"

Classic took a few steps back, a smirk on his face as he pointed to himself. "Heck, my first adventure started when one of the bad guys of my world turned every other dragon to stone. Any other dragon would have been scared, but my first instinct was to kick the ugly butt of the guy who did this. Even when I was rescuing the other dragons, none of them stepped in to help, even the so called 'Peace Keepers' of my world. I did that all by myself and never once was I afraid, so don't you dare call me a coward!"

"I'll call you a coward and a petulant child," Legend retorted. "You think courage is just standing up when there is an obvious evil? You have a lot to learn. I too had to save my elders, masters of Fire, Ice, Electricity, and Earth." Legend Spyro felt a twinge of pain at the thought of what Cynder had done as the 'Terror of the Skies.' But he wouldn't mention that, not to a stranger. "And do you know what? At the end of the day, that was the easy part. Do you want to know what the hard part was? Putting our lives back together, figuring out what we should do once the fight was over, learning how to trust... _That_ is the courage you lack."

"Three years of war..." he continued, visibly shaking. "That is my Loop's baseline... And at the end, the world itself is destroyed and Cynder and I have to try to make it whole! In these Loops, I have lost friends and family...so many times. The hard part isn't fighting for those who remain, it's having to live with the loss of those who have moved on! How do you console a son who has lost his mother and father? A grandfather who could only watch as all his descendants were slaughtered one-by-one in front of him, and you no matter how fast you go, you can't save everyone? Only talk to me about courage once you know what empathy is and you can actually _use_ it!"

Classic felt the air of confidence dissipate as he listened to Legend's words. He scowled, rolling his eyes.

 _'Well then, obviously you should have moved faster. If you were a real hero, none of that would have happened in the first place.'_ Classic thought. He was half tempted to throw that insult back in Legend's face, but something about what Legend had said kept ringing in his head. He watched as Legend glared at him, his frame shaky as he scowled. Classic stood silent before he grunted and looked away.

Why was he even caring about what this guy said? He knew he was a hero, and everyone in his world definitely knew it with how they often treated him as a celebrity. He didn't need some stiff from the Stone Ages telling him otherwise.

"Bah, whatever!" Classic said as he turned around and began to walk off. "I don't need this. I always manage to save everyone in my world, anyways. I don't need some alternate universe me with a stick up his rear telling me how to do my job!"

"I hope you grow out of that attitude soon," Legend Spyro said just loud enough to hear. "Or one day you will wake up to one of three things: One, you will eventually face an enemy you cannot defeat on your own; two, your powers will run wild, outside of your control; three, you will find yourself painted the villain. And in every case, you will not have friends to help you...and you will fall."

Then Legend Spyro really went to dig in deep. So far this alternate version of himself seemed to be all bluster. It was time to see what teeth he had, if any.

"So that's it, then," he called out, making sure that, had anyone else been on the block, they would have easily heard what he said. "You say you're going to teach me about this world and as soon as we're alone you try to shirk your duties. You are a coward."

Classic made no response, instead just pausing in place. With what Legend had seen of this kid so far, he expected a major tantrum from his immature counterpart, so he waited for the fallout. Seconds passed as Classic said nothing. Then Classic turned on his heels, returning to his critic. With complete disregard to personal space, he stopped within one inch of Legend, maintaining a glare that burned like acid.

" _Relax._ "

"What makes y—?"

"Take a seat and _relax,_ before you say something you'll regret," Classic said, his voice taking a surprisingly serious tone. "I won't complain about being called a child. We're _both_ children, for your information. You, on the other hand, want to compensate for something, because you keep acting as if being a kid and enjoying life is the worst sin possible. If you want to spend your life being a bitter pussycat who complains that he can't change the past and control everything under the sun, that's fine. I, unlike _you_ , realize we're _not_ the same person, and that means I can't control what you say, do, or believe. But, if you keep calling me a coward for trying to help you avoid a girl who flirts with me constantly, then perhaps you would prefer that I hurt you. _Severely._ "

With that said, Classic jumped back a few inches, sinking down to a readied stance with a smirk. "If you're stupid enough to call me a coward, then I would be more than happy to help you understand that I'm not the hero of the Dragon Realms, Avalar, and the Forgotten Realms for nothing."

Legend stood silent. Part of him noted that his behavior was far more aggressive than usual. After all that had happened to him today, it was rather understandable, but something felt... _wrong_. Regardless, after everything he put him through today, the thought of finally knocking this egotistical dragon down a peg had made him more than committed to the fight.

The biggest concern he actually had was how close Classic was. It would be difficult to react at such a short distance. And while he did have techniques that could actually, here and now, end this, he'd rather not escalate to some of his masters' greatest techniques to prove a point, nor would he willingly use Convexity before he had mastered the element.

Legend Spyro knew that he had quite a few options. He could lash out with a quick claw strike to knock the other Spyro back; at this distance, he wouldn't have time to mount a defense. He could try to evade the strike that he was sure was coming, but given how close they were, this would be...difficult. Or he could use one of his masters' greatest techniques; the Comet Dash, Snowstorm, Electric Sphere, and Earth Boulder would all be excellent options with an opponent so close... But he had sworn those off for now. Or, perhaps most reckless of all, he could try to anticipate his other's first move and counter it. It had a high chance of failure and the risk of him looking stupid if he did fail, but if he did, it would be a major victory, mentally and psychologically if not physically.

All those thoughts flashed through his head as he replied, "Mutual consent, three body-lengths?" Just in case, Spyro prepared to grab the other's horns.

"...What?" Classic asked flatly, raising an eyebrow. He quickly shook it off, though, returning back to his determined look. "Just come at me, bro! Unless you're afraid I'll take you out in one hit!"

Legend narrowed his eyes. Maybe it would be best to start off with something simple. With the minimal distance between them, Legend brought his head down and head-butted Classic in the snout, knowing there would be almost no time to react at this range. As the blow connected, Classic let out a grunt of pain as he went staggering backwards, managing to regain balance a short ways away. Rubbing his throbbing snout, he glared at Legend.

 _'Gotta be careful. Sparx isn't here to dull the hits for me,'_ Classic thought.

Over the course of the loops, Classic had been working on his one major weakness. Though he was a strong dragon in his own right, he was never really good at taking a punch. Sparx was always there to help dull the hits for him, but after a particular nasty variation loop where Sparx hadn't been with him on his baseline adventures, he knew he couldn't always rely on him. The loops where he had been training to overcome this had been painful, but worth it. Regardless, Classic knew he couldn't take too many of those. He had to admit, his counterpart knew how to put some power behind his head-butt.

Classic hunkered down, his Legend counterpart ready for whatever he would throw at him. Classic smirked.

"Nice cheap shot. What's the matter? Can't take me down without reverting to under-handed tactics like that?" Classic taunted. If there was one thing he knew full well from his loop, the most effective strategy when facing down a major enemy, and the one he was best at, was to let them attack first, dodge, then counterattack when they left themselves open.

" _I_ wanted to start three body-lengths away. _You_ were the one who wanted to start there and then, idiot."

"Can you blame me for wanting to give you _some_ form of a handicap against me?"

Legend stood his ground. Classic was leaving himself far too open, as there were many different ways he could go about attacking him. _'What is he planning...?'_ Legend narrowed his eyes. It was probably best to play it safe with something simple for now. Legend charged forward, spinning around and attempting a tail strike.

Classic smirked. _'Gotcha!'_

Classic quickly ducked under the tail, and let loose a stream of flames as Legend went to swipe at him with his claws. The stream of flames caught Legend off guard, sending him staggering a bit of the ways back. As he struggled to steady himself, Classic charged forward to keep the momentum going, nailing him square in the chest with a head-butt.

Legend grunted in pain, staggering further back. Quickly regaining ground as he dug his claws into the earth, he saw Classic standing in place, once again hunkered down with the same stupid smirk plastered across his face. Legend growled, waiting for him to attack. Seconds passed as neither dragon made a move.

"C'mon! What's the matter? Scared!?"

Puffs of smoke escaped Legend's nostrils as he bared his fangs. Once again, Classic was leaving himself wide open. _'What is he up to?'_

Legend shook his head before he took a deep breath. _'Calm down. Don't let him get to you. Remember what Terrador said. Always keep a level head during battle.'_

Legend kept a firm eye on Classic. He was waiting for him to make the first move, and so far it didn't look like there was any way he could bait Classic into attacking first. He'd left himself too open with that last attack because he let this dragon get under his scales, so he couldn't let it happen again. That attack was something meant for fighting a group of enemies, not one on one. He knew Cyril would have been disappointed in him for making that mistake had he been there.

Cyril had always been the best guardian when it came to one on one combat. _'Think, Spyro. Remember what he taught you...'_

Legend narrowed his eyes, a renewed glint of determination in them. He charged at Classic, appearing to lunge at him. Classic smirked. It seemed this guy did have a pattern to him, after all. He got ready to duck and retaliate with a burst of flames once again, but what happened next caught him off guard. Legend quickly hunkered down, spun around, and swiped at Classic's paws. Classic fell to the ground with a thud, looking up as his eyes went wide, and barely rolled out of the way in time. The ground where he once was became a small crater as Legend brought his tail encased in stone down upon it.

Getting to his feet, Classic dashed away and put some distance between them. Looking back, he saw Legend glaring at him. _'So he likes to pull fake-outs. Got it. Should be easy to find a way around that...'_

Classic looked at his Legend counterpart, watching as Legend stood his ground. _'Starting to see a few patterns here. Not enough to cheese the fight like with Ripto, but that means once I get it down, I should have this in the bag!'_

Legend narrowed his eyes. So far, all this dragon was doing was reacting to his attacks. Somehow, he got the sneaking suspicion that the fake-out tactic wasn't going to work twice. It didn't matter, though. There were still several other tactics he had planned. He opened his mouth, a frosty mist escaping his cool breath as he shot several ice shards at his counterpart.

Classic's eyes went wide. _'Didn't know you could do that with the ice element!'_

Nonetheless, he was quick to take off, dodging left and right as ice shards flew past him. He ducked under one before firing his flames at another. They kept coming, but dodging tons of projectiles was nothing new to him. Classic smirked, slowly starting to close the gap between them.

 _'This is crazy...! I have to at least hand it to him. If nothing else, he's really_ quick!' Legend thought, keeping up the ice shard rain as Classic kept creeping closer. _'What's up with him, though? It's not like he's even trying to seriously dodge. He's just reacting to what's in front of him!'_

Classic smirked, as he was now only a short distance away. _'Alright, let's try this!'_ Classic thought, jumping into the air.

Legend was caught off guard by the sudden action, cancelling his ice rain as he looked up. Classic started spinning in the air before he started falling down horns first. Legend's eyes went wide, and he quickly jumped back as Classic slammed into the ground at full force. Legend could only watch in wide-eyed confusion.

 _'What kind of attack was that!? That makes no sense! If anything, that'll only do more damage to him—_ ACK!"

Legend was sent stumbling back as a bolt of electricity connected with his chest. Through the dust cloud that was kicked up from the wild blow, Classic stood defiantly with a smirk on his face. He charged forward, keeping the momentum up by slamming Legend in the chest and sending him tumbling back.

Legend slid across the ground for a few feet before he dug his forepaws in and skidded to a stop. He glared at his counterpart, frowning at himself for letting himself be caught off guard like that.

 _'Was that supposed to be a distraction? I...I'm not sure...'_ he thought. No sane dragon would have ever attempted such a wild display in a battle, and yet... _'That made no sense!'_ Legend sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. _' If anything, at least that explains a lot about this dragon.'_

Legend shook his head. Glancing up, he saw Classic charging at him horns first. It didn't take him long to think of a counter. Though Classic was quick, with how blatantly he was telegraphing the move, Legend easily dodged to the side. Not wasting a minute, he began to summon the natural energies of the earth into himself and let out a green blast that sent Classic flying back.

Classic tumbled along the ground, sliding on his back. He began to pick himself up, only to see a ball of fire heading his way. Eyes wide, Classic gasped before rolling out of the way. As the fireball exploded, Classic got to his paws not a short distance away. He cringed; the blow had done more damage than he had expected. He knew he couldn't take another one of those if it hit him head on.

Legend kept a close eye on him. _'I still can't get a reading on this dragon. One second he's pulling something crazy like before, then he's wildly telegraphing his attacks... Has he had any kind of training at all?'_ Legend narrowed his eyes. If things kept going this way, he might be able to end the battle quickly.

Classic took a few deep breaths. He shook his head and smirked. _'Alright! Time to get serious!'_ Classic thought, a faint glow starting to illuminate around him.

Legend's eyes widened as Classic began to glow, Classic smirking as he hunkered down. _'Wha...what the heck is he up to?'_

Classic continued to grin before he took a deep breath and unleashed a mighty roar. A wave of magical energy erupted in the surrounding area, and Legend was forced to cover his ears. Capitalizing on this, Classic charged forward and began to shoot out waves of water, dowsing Legend and the surrounding battlefield.

Legend managed to open his eyes for a second, seeing his counterpart spraying water out of his mouth. _'What the heck!? How is he doing that!? I've never seen a dragon use water as an element before!'_

Nonetheless, the water wasn't doing any damage to him, which only served to confuse him more. What exactly was this dragon's game?

"What's the matter!? Is a little bit of water all it takes to bring you down!?" Classic taunted, cancelling his water element and giving a cocky grin.

Legend growled, glaring at Classic. _'What is he up to!? Was he trying to make my fire element less effective? No...that would mean he'd be de-powering his own fire element!'_

Legend scowled before firing another rain of ice shards towards Classic.

Classic smirked, jumping to the left. "Missed me!" Classic ducked under another shard. "Ooh, so close!" Grinning, he then jumped over a sudden surge of ice shards. "Oops, sorry, try again!"

Legend growled, fangs bared as he watched Classic easily weave in and out of the last few ice shards heading his way. _'Alright then, let's see how you like being trapped again!'_

Legend began to glow green and the earth started to shake beneath his paws. Classic smirked, jumping to the side as the ground shot up into a ball not a second later. Landing on the ground, Classic began to jump back and forth, the cocky grin never leaving his face.

"Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me!" Classic taunted before he took in a deep breath.

Legend began to brace himself for whatever Classic was about to throw at him, raising a wing in front of him as he got prepared to jump out of the way. However, what happened next caught the purple dragon completely off guard.

"Wha...?"

Legend looked around him, a cloud of bubbles surrounding him. He stood completely wide-eyed and speechless before he looked at his Classic counterpart.

Classic smirked. "C'mon, now! I didn't want to completely decimate you!"

Legend growled, glaring coldly at his counterpart. "That overconfidence will be your downfall."

"Oh really?" Classic asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. "Wouldn't you have to hit me first for that to happen?"

Legend shook his head, teeth still bared as he closed his eyes. _'Okay, calm down...calm down...! You're letting this annoying little lizard get under your scales again.'_ Legend took a deep breath before he starting glaring at his counterpart again. _'He has a point, though... I can't catch him with my earth element like last time, and the other elements are too slow... Except...'_ He watched as his counterpart stuck his tongue out and wiggled his claws at him, causing Legend to growl. _'Okay,_ ** _that's it!_** _Let's see if he's quick enough to avoid having a lightning bolt shoved up his—'_

Legend opened his mouth, crackling electrical energy forming at the back of his throat, glaring daggers at his counterpart. This loop had been an absolute pain for him, from the second he'd woken up to this very moment. Now, all he wanted to do was to finally knock the main source of his frustration down a peg. The dragon that had such blatant disregard around him, the dragon who had separated him from his friends, and the dragon who didn't deserve the purple scales he was born with! Now, it was time to finally, _finally—_

_'Wait, why is he grinning...?'_

Legend shot out a bolt of electricity at Classic, who in return...just stood there, grinning like a cocky idiot. The bolt shot towards the veil of bubbles that Classic had put up, but instead of easily popping through it like he had thought, the lightning hit the bubbles...then stopped. Electrical sparks began to form around them.

_'What...? How is that even...!?'_

"You know, as much as I used to complain about how useless the bubble element was in my baseline," Classic said, crossing his forepaws, "after having gone through an entire loop using just that element alone, you'd be surprised at the number of uses it has. Especially after you use some magic to reinforce them a little." Classic smirked before pointing one of his claws towards the ground.

"By the way, look down!"

Legend raised an eyebrow, unsure if Classic was trying to pull something. Cautiously, he did so. _'I don't get it... What is he getting at? All I see is the damp—_ ** _oh cr—!'_**

Before Legend could finish that thought, the electricity that was stored up in the bubbles shot towards the ground, still wet from earlier. Legend shrieked as electricity coursed through his body, the attack lasting a good few seconds before the bubbles finally popped. Legend nearly fell to the ground, only barely managing to stand as he panted heavily.

Classic smirked. True, he could have just used his own electric element to pull this off, but seeing Legend's own attack turned back on him was just so much more satisfying. For all of Legend's supposed skills, he was no different from most of the people he'd faced. Get under their scales, skin, or whatever, and they'd start to make mistakes like no one's business.

Legend slowly raised his head, growling as he watched his counterpart sitting with a smug look. _'How can I be so idiotic!? I let him turn one of my attacks against me! I can only imagine what one of the guardians would say if they were here!'_

"C'mon! I thought you come from a world that's in the middle of a war! You're making this way too easy on me!"

Legend dug his paws into the ground as he growled, fangs bared as smoke escaped from his nostrils. _'Why... Why this...this little...!'_

'Calm down.'

Legend blinked, a bit surprised by the familiar voice ringing in his head. _'Terrador!'_

'You have to stay calm in battle, no matter who it is you're facing.'

Legend closed his eyes, memories suddenly rushing back. He wasn't sure what had brought it on, but somehow, just listening to the words of one of his teachers managed to let some of the rage he held towards his counterpart subside.

"Uh... Hello?"

It was an earlier loop when he'd heard those words, back when he'd first started looping. Through the amount of time he'd spent in those loops, his abilities with the four elements had improved through sheer repetition and never failed to impress the elders. It was one time when he was doing his obligatory training session with Terrador, the loop after Cynder began looping.

'I know you want to end this war, Spyro, we all do. But you can't let your emotions get the best of you, especially on the battlefield.'

"Hey! I'm still here, you know!"

He remembered the rage he'd felt after that, about how the loops were making them relive these horrid memories over and over. He remembered how he took it all out on the enemies that were unlucky enough to cross his path, how he ripped apart the training dummies, how the guardians watched on in shock.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me I broke you already!"

'No matter who it is you face, no matter how hard things may get, you cannot lose yourself. If you lose yourself, you lose control of the battle. If you lose control of the battle, you lose everything.'

Legend took a deep breath. Classic glared at him, scratching the back of his head.

 _'Maybe I_ did _break him...?'_ Classic thought, though he was quick to smirk. _'Well then, I guess this counts as a victory for me, then!'_

'You already appear to be well skilled in the earth element, but as long as you fight with rage, you can never fully master it. You must always fight with a level head, unmoving like the earth under your paws. Once you have learned that...'

Legend opened his eyes, the rage that was once in them now subsided.

'...come speak to me. I have something to teach you that may one day help you turn the tide of battle.'

Now it was Legend's turn to crack a grin. _'You know what, Terrador? I think you may have been right.'_

Classic watched as Legend got a new air of determination about him. Classic smirked. Part of him was actually pretty excited to see his Legend counterpart hadn't given up already. That would just make finally beating him all the more sweet.

"I see you're ready for round two," Classic taunted, hunkering down. "Well, bring it on! Doesn't matter how many times you try, I'll always come out on top!"

Legend said nothing, his paws planted firmly on the ground as he began to concentrate. _'I'm not going to let you get to me anymore. In fact, I think it's time I turned the tables!'_

With that, Legend closed his eyes and began to glow a faint green. Seeing this, Classic smirked.

"I already told you! That ain't going to work anymore!" he taunted, getting ready to jump out of the way.

Legend opened his eyes, a smirk on his face. "What makes you think that's what I'm up to?"

Classic's face went blank at his counterpart's words, but he wasn't allowed to think on it for long as the ground around them started to shake. Classic braced himself, getting ready to bolt at a moment's notice. However, as a stone pillar sprung up not far away, Classic's eyes widened in confusion. Before he could figure out what was happening, several more pillars began to pop up out of the ground. Classic's head darted around as pillars kept being summoned forth with no regard for his position.

 _'What the heck? Maybe I really_ did _break him...'_ he thought, but he didn't get to think for long as the ground below him began to shake.

Reacting at a moment's notice, Classic jumped to the side to avoid being thrown into the air by the pillar. Looking around, he noticed he was in what now appeared to be a maze of pillars. He glanced around, eyes wide as he tried to piece together what his counterpart was up to.

"Your aim's slipping!" Classic taunted, looking around for where his counterpart was. "Out of all those pillars, not one hit me!"

"Who says I was aiming for you?"

Classic spun around towards the source of the voice, eyes narrowing as he was only met with more pillars. Before he knew it, he heard a whistling sound coming from behind him. Looking back, he gasped as he saw a large fireball heading his way. Classic darted off, avoiding the blast when the fireball hit the ground. However, in his haste, he ended up grazing the side of one of the pillars, sending him stumbling over himself.

Picking himself up, he frowned. "What's the matter!? Too afraid to fight me face to face!?"

"Depends. Are you?"

Classic turned around, only to be met with a face full of ice. Classic went tumbling back, slamming into a pillar. Gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of him, he got up in a daze, shaking his head as he tried to steady himself. Looking up, he saw his counterpart standing there, the tip of his tail encased in a ball of ice.

Classic frowned before he let out a bolt of electricity at his counterpart. Legend was quick to sidestep behind a pillar, the bolt flying past it and hitting the pillar beyond that. Classic growled before charging forward to where Legend was. He stopped by the pillar, getting ready to let loose a wave of flames. However, his counterpart was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha—where did he— _AAH!_ "

Classic barely had time to react when he saw an ice shard heading his way. He ducked and rolled, and was met with a pillar to the side. He groaned as the ice shards flew over him, before he picked himself up, trying to ignore his throbbing side.

"Not so fun when your hit and run tactics are turned against you, huh?"

Classic growled, looking around for his counterpart. For as far as the eye could see were nothing but pillars obstructing his view. _'I don't get it! How is he able to move around in this mess!?'_

Before Classic could ponder the thought further, the ground under his feet started to crack. It didn't take long for Classic to realize he needed to move. He jumped forward, scraping his side against a pillar as he did. Legend popped out of the ground not a second later, turning to his counterpart and getting ready to unleash a wave of flames. Classic cringed, forcing himself to move despite the scrapes he had taken, the wave of fire missing him by inches. Looking back, he saw his counterpart disappear behind the pillars yet again.

Classic shook his head, his breathing becoming heavy. _'Oh crap... I'm starting to get flashbacks to that loop with the no-faced freak!'_ He shook his head before he started looking around. _'Okay, calm down. There has to be a way out of this!'_

Classic hunkered down, looking around for anything that might hint to a way out. He started to shake as he could only see pillars upon pillars, not a hint of any way to escape. It was then he started to see a faint glow beyond a path. _'That's it! A way ou—_ ** _oh no!_** _'_

Classic ducked, barely avoiding being hit with a lightning bolt. He picked himself up, starting to shake as he rapidly looked around for an escape route. _'Oh crap! I don't even know if I'm in the same place as when this started anymore!'_

From behind one of the pillars not so far away, Legend looked on with a grin.

'The earth arena trap is a very powerful yet difficult ability to master. It takes most earth dragons many years before they can properly navigate it. Once mastered, though, it becomes a very useful technique when up against quick enemies. The maze gives them very little room to move, and disorients them greatly. With this, it becomes easy for one to turn the tides of battle.'

 _'Thank you, Terrador.'_ Legend thought. He doubted Terrador ever saw this situation coming back then, or the fact that the time loop gave him more than enough time to master it, but nonetheless, one of his mentors had once again managed to help him in his time of need.

Classic darted down and around sets of pillars as he attempted to find a way out, narrowly dodging blasts of fire, ice, and electricity as he did. He could feel beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead, each dodge causing him to bump and scrape himself against a pillar. He knew he couldn't take much more of this. He needed a way to turn this around and fast.

 _'Come on, Spyro! Think! You've been through worse than this!'_ Classic thought to himself, looking around for any sign of his counterpart.

The surrounding area was eerily quiet; not a single echo of footprints could be heard. _'How can he be so bulky, yet light on his feet!?'_ Classic shook his head, concentrating harder. No matter how hard he tried, though, the only thing that could be heard was the wind.

 _'Wind... Wait, maybe I can use my wind element to increase my speed, like air flowing through a cave tunnel! No, I'll just end up slamming into a pillar if I try that,'_ Classic thought, head darting back and forth. _'Wait... Slamming into a pillar... That's it!'_

Classic heard a whistling sound, which was more than enough of a signal to start running. Barely avoiding a blast of fire, Classic ducked behind a pillar. Making sure he was safe, he opened his subspace pocket and reached his paw in. _'C'mon, where is it...where is it... Got it!'_

Smirking, Classic pulled out a blue orb. _'Time to topple this place down like a set of dominos!'_

Not far away, Legend swerved in and out of the pillars as he quickly made his way towards his counterpart. He made sure to tread as lightly as possibly, a feat that was made easier through delicate manipulation of his earth element. _'I'm going to have to remember to thank Terrador after this. Even if he doesn't remember.'_

As he finished that thought, a loud crash rang throughout the pillars, quickly followed by the sound of several more crashes, like the sound of a landslide. Legend barely had time to wonder what was going on before he was almost rammed by a purple blur. The blur smashed through pillar after pillar as it went on a warpath. Legend's mouth hung open and his eyes went wide as large chunks of rock started to fall down around him. He spread his wings, flying to the side to avoid being crushed, before darting up through the pillars and into the air. Looking down, he saw what could only be described as absolute chaos. Dust, large chucks of rock, and a purple blur went every which way as what sounded like a explosion rang throughout the town.

As the dust started to clear, what was once a peaceful park now looked like a warzone. On top of the rocks, Classic stood triumphantly with a cocky grin on his face. Legend looked on wide-eyed, trying to piece together what happened.

_'But...how!? From what I've seen, he's done nothing that implies he even knows earth is an element. If he did know, he would have broken out of my earth trap earlier!'_

Classic looked up at Legend's dumbfounded face and had to fight the urge to laugh. He sat down, crossing his front legs. "I have to hand it to you, duplicate. I didn't think you'd force me to use stuff in my pocket space."

Legend narrowed his eyes. "I thought this was supposed to be a fair fight!"

"Hey, you never said anything about using what we have in our subspace pockets!"

Legend growled. _'Alright, then. Just remember, you asked for it!'_

Legend searched the back of his mind, subconsciously dipping into his subspace pocket. Over the course of the loops, it had expanded enough that he could now hold all three of the armors he'd found during the tail end of his adventure. If Classic was going to use what he had in his subspace pocket, then so was he. But which armor to go with; that was the question.

The fury armor, though incredibly powerful, would drain him too quickly of his energies, on top of being a bit of an overkill. The silver armor also increased his abilities, though nowhere near the same extent as the fury armor, but didn't have the draining effect. However, both of these armors still shared the same problem of actually having to hit the target in order for them to be of any use, and with how quick Classic had been and how he'd managed to turn one of his attacks back on him...

_'Alright, then, let's see how he likes this!'_

Legend grinned as a faint glow started to surround him. Classic raised an eyebrow. Not a second later, Legend found himself clad in golden armor, a faint yellow glow around him. Classic narrowed his eyes.

"Heh, do you really think some cruddy Stone-Aged armor is going to help you?" Classic taunted, a cocky grin on his face.

"Why don't you try it and find out!" Legend spat back, hovering still in the air.

Classic huffed, wondering exactly why Legend was leaving himself open like this. He shook his head. _'Whatever. If he's going to leave himself open, I'm sure as heck going to take it!'_

With that thought in mind, Classic dipped back into his subspace pocket. It was time to show him just how effective such cruddy armor would be against what he had in store. He summoned one of the mini-missiles he had collected and popped it into existence inside his mouth. Igniting the fuse, he spat the projectile towards his counterpart. With how fast the projectile was going, Legend didn't have time to dodge, but then again, he wasn't trying to.

The explosion rang out and a cloud of smoke expanded as the missile hit Legend full-force. Classic smirked. _'Bullseye!'_

However, as the smoke began to clear, the smirk on Classic's face quickly disappeared. There was his counterpart, still hovering in the air, no worse for wear. Classic's mouth dropped, his eyes going wide. _'Huh!? B-but how!?'_

Legend grinned. In truth, right now, his ears were ringing like crazy and his body was screaming out in agony, but thanks to his armor he was hiding it well. While the other two armors were for attacking, the golden armor was enchanted for armor's intended purpose. Not only did it dull hits, but with this on, he never once flinched. True, he probably still couldn't take many more of whatever his counterpart had thrown at him, but seeing the horrified look on his normally smug face had made this demonstration more than worth it.

"Alright, _duplicate!_ " Legend said, getting a small amount of joy at tossing Classic's favorite insult back at him. "You ready for round two?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of Legend Spyro bias with this current arc... I suppose it's to be expected though. lol /shot
> 
> Anyways, his the first part of one third of the this arc starting. We actually put a lot of thought and care into this battle, taking in account both Spyros strengths and weaknesses. Seriously, we went into some Death Battle levels of analysis here. 
> 
> We were all actually rather surprised at how well Classic was holding up, to be honest. We all pretty much expected him to get flatten by Legend, but he actually managed to push him back and have him on the ropes for a good portion of this chapter. I suppose it's only natural we'd assume that. When most people think Classic Spyro, they just see breathing short burst of flame and ramming things with his horns. In actuality though, Classic has a surprising collection of abilities and skills he's built up over the course of the original series. Elements and Magic are just the tip of the ice berg, really. Not even counting those, he still has a plethora of items he has in his subspace from his adventures. Mini-missiles, power-up orbs, vehicles like his Mini-UFO... Really, if you can think of it, Classic likely has it in his subspace. 
> 
> Plus there's his speed advantage over Legend, which is what manages to give him a pretty big edge over his counterpart for most of the battle so far sense Legend is more about getting into his opponents face and smashing away instead of hit and run tactics. Classic is also much more creative with his abilities. What Legend would just see as useless bubbles, Classic would see as pyro bubble bombs. /shot
> 
> That's not to say Legend is out matched by any means, no. Though his skills aren't as diverse as Legend's, his abilities still give him quite the edge in that they pack far more of punch than Classic's and he can take a lot more hits than his counterpart. On top of that, Legend also has his collection of armor. Specifically, he's using his golden armor from DotD. The golden set armor in that game was a massive defense booster, allowing for him to shrug off hits like they were lite finger pokes. He also has proper combat training, something Classic himself does have in the form of Dragon Kata, but rarely uses. On top of that, Legend has some other darker abilities at his disposal as well...
> 
> Exactly who will win this battle though? Well, you just have to keep reading to find out...


	9. A Classic VS A Legend pt. 2 (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.

**(Fused Loop 1.1 continued)**

**A Classic VS a Legend pt. 2: (Feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

**Meanwhile, earlier that day...**

Ember walked along the path, the awkward silence not once breaking since she had left the apartment. It all had happened so fast, everyone piling out of the building like Gnasty was turning the dragons all to stone again for the thousandth time in a row. She sighed, feeling responsible. She wished she knew why her Spyro avoided her. She couldn't help it if she was the type to let her emotions get the better of her.

Shaking her head, she knew there was no use dwelling on it. For now, the best she could do was wait and hope they'd run into them again. She looked forward. The black dragoness in front of her was glancing around every which way with eyes wide. Cynder hadn't said a single thing since they'd left the apartment, and it was starting to unnerve Ember. She'd wanted to tag along because she didn't like the idea of being alone in a new city they'd never been to before, but with how little Cynder spoke it might as well have been like that anyway.

Cynder's eyes were wide as she looked around at her surroundings. Some sort of flying circular wagons flew overhead, and several people walked by, some of them either talking or repeatedly tapping on small metal devices. Cynder didn't quite understand what form of magic was being used to make such things, nor could she even begin to understand what such things _were_ to begin with, but something about them just felt unnatural. She shivered. Not many things could make her feel any more out of place than she usually felt in the baseline, but all these odd _things_ that she couldn't even begin to understand were giving that a good run for its money.

"So..." Ember muttered, in hopes of quelling the awkward air between them. "You're from another world?"

Cynder glanced back with an indifferent look. Ember mentally kicked herself for asking such an obvious question, but at least getting the opportunity to learn about the only other awake dragoness with her at the moment was better than following her around blindly just because.

"...Yes," Cynder said. Admittedly, her words came out much colder than she had intended.

"Cool," Ember said, though she flinched at such a simplistic response. Another silence was quickly starting to follow, but Ember was determined not to let that happen. "So, um... What's your world like?"

"What?"

Cynder froze, looking back with a slight apprehensive expression. Luckily for her, Ember didn't seem to notice.

"Well, that guy that called us here said we're both from different worlds. Hunter told me of the possibility of visiting other worlds in the loops, so I was just wondering..."

Cynder forced a smile, despite the internal struggle she was dealing with. She had almost forgotten about the whole 'other alternative world' thing. The question had seemed so innocent, but with how her world's baseline went, especially for her...

"Uh, well... We certainly don't have such odd gadgets in our world," Cynder said, looking up towards one of the mini-UFOs above.

"Really?" asked Ember, tilting her head. "Odd. Our world has a lot of different kinds of technology in it. Some of it's kind of cool, a lot of it is useful...though trying to understand a lot of the smaller details of how most of this stuff work is confusing."

 _'That's for sure,'_ Cynder thought, taking a glance around at all the odd gadgets that most people wouldn't have given a second thought.

"What else is it like? Do you have portal systems in your world that take you to other realms?" Ember asked, though judging by the fact that Cynder looked at her like she had grown a second head, she was going to take that as a no. "Portal systems are really useful. They let you travel long distances in almost no time at all. I've actually been spending a lot of my loop time trying to see if I can convince the elders to set up a portal up between my village and the Artisan realm."

"Artisan?"

"Yeah. They house one of the five main dragon classes."

Once again, Cynder looked at her like she had grown a second head. Ember chuckled, shaking her head.

"There are five different kinds of dragons in my world, named after what they're good at. Artisans are the architects, Peace Keepers make sure nothing bad happens in the realms, though honestly, they're not very good at that job," Ember chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Magic Crafters are the ones who keep the magical balance in our world, as well as experiment with new spells and the like, Beast Makers create most of the creatures in our world, and Dream Weavers are responsible for making sure no dragon or living being has nightmares when they sleep."

Cynder listened to the somewhat long-winded explanation with eyes wide. "Sounds...interesting."

"What? Aren't the dragons of your world like that?" Ember asked, tilting her head.

"Not really. Mostly, dragons of my world are usually identified by their element."

"Element? Don't the dragons of your world breathe fire like most dragons?"

"Some do, but not all. You see—"

Before Cynder could go on her own long-winded speech about the dragons of her world, she was interrupted by a low grumbling sound. Cynder blushed, grabbing her stomach. Ember giggled.

"Almost forgot. With everything that's going on, we kind of _did_ miss breakfast," she said, a slight smile on her face. "C'mon. I'm not sure if it's still here this loop, but I know of this great place to eat. If we can find it, we should continue this conversation there."

Cynder nodded, watching as Ember took the lead with a smile on her face. She was quick to follow behind, a bit surprised to find that she herself was smiling too. She wasn't entirely sure why, but despite being in a completely different world away from her Spyro, she didn't feel all that alone anymore...

* * *

**Meanwhile, miles away...**

Hunter bent over, taking deep breaths. If there was one thing he knew for certain about Spyro, it was that he was _fast_. Even carrying another dragon roughly his size, Hunter couldn't even begin to keep up with him. He glanced up to find Sparx looking at him with a cheeky smirk.

"I thought cheetahs were supposed to be fast?"

"Shut up," Hunter said flatly before he bent back up and stretched his back. "And what about you? Don't you usually keep up with Spyro?

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to have a heart attack," Sparx said, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. "Anyways, c'mon. I saw them head this way!"

With that, Sparx went to dart off down an alleyway. Hunter raised an eyebrow before quickly raising his hand.

"Whoa! Hold up! They didn't go that way!" he said before pointing in the opposite direction. "They went that way!"

"No they didn't! I saw them go _that_ way!"

"Well, then you saw wrong, because I _know_ they went that way!"

They paused, glaring at each other. Hunter smirked. "Rock, paper, scissors? Winner gets to choose which way we go?"

"You're on!"

They raised dominate hands, cupped into a fist. Hunter grinned. "You're going down, bug boy!"

"We'll see about that, lead shoes!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Both Hunter and Sparx shook their fists and laid their palms out flat. Sparx frowned. "Draw. Now what?"

"What else? We go again!"

Sparx frowned before raising his fist again. Somehow, he got a bad feeling about this.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Both combatants kept their fists cupped as silence fell over them. Sparx's face went flat. "Draw... Again."

"Well, then we'll just do it again."

"Why don't we just flip a coin instead?"

Hunter smirked, a snarky glint in his eyes. "What's the matter, bug boy? Afraid you'll lose?"

Sparx scowled. After several seconds, he slowly raised his fist.

"Rock, paper..."

* * *

**Meanwhile, miles away...**

This was odd. It wasn't by far the oddest thing Cynder had experienced today, but it was still odd.

Ember had taken her to something called a 'Cafe'. Apparently, it was a place that served various drinks and variations of bread-based products. Cynder didn't quite get it, though, granted, the closest thing she had in her world was the market place where most dragons went when they didn't feel like hunting their own food. She also didn't quite understand why Ember had taken her to a place that made bread-based products. Bread was hardly something dragons ate regularly.

_'You'll love it here! They have a lot of great tasting stuff here!'_

Cynder mentally shrugged. _'Might as well go along with it. Not like I know much about how this world works, anyway.'_

Ember smiled. Currently, the two dragons were sitting at one of the tables outside the establishment. Cynder found sitting in the chair rather awkward, yet Ember took to it with no problem. Cynder mentally sighed. Yet another thing that made her feel out of place.

"So, what was that you were talking about earlier? About dragons of your world being defined by their element?"

Cynder raised her head at Ember's question. "Oh, right," she said, remembering what Ember had asked earlier. "In my world, dragons are divided up into elements, the four most common ones being fire, ice, electric, and earth."

"Cool. That sounds like it would be awesome. As I said, most of the dragons in my world only breathe fire," Ember said before she glanced away and began to gaze off into space. "Well, except for Spyro..."

Cynder raised an eyebrow as Ember's voice became more light and she started to space out. "...I wouldn't be surprised. In my world, purple dragons have the ability to use many different elements, some of which most dragons didn't even know existed."

"That sounds cool. I bet Spyro already knows all of them..."

Cynder was silent, her expression blank as she looked at the pink dragoness in front of her gazing off into space with a content smile on her face. It didn't take a genius to come to the obvious conclusion.

"I take you like your world's Spyro?"

"Oh, yes! Very, very much!" Ember said, a wide grin on her face. "Everything about him is awesome! The way he kicks the behinds of all our realm's bad guys, the way he never gives up no matter what's thrown at him, how he always has a comeback to any taunt thrown at him, the confident grin..."

Cynder glanced away, clearing her throat as Ember began to list off things that made her fall head-over-heels for her hero. Cynder felt rather uneasy, beginning to wonder if this dragoness had a personal list written down or something. Finally, Ember paused and sighed as her head went limp.

"I don't think he really cares for me, though. Every time I talk to him, he usually makes an excuse and leaves."

Cynders thoughts were quickly thrown back to the apartment, with how the other Spyro had barrelled out of the building with her Spyro in tow.

"Well, in his defence, you did appear to be making him uneasy with how close you were getting," Cynder said bluntly. _'Then again, I can't really say much. The closest thing I know about dragon courtship is that surviving an apocalypse is apparently a good jump-starter...'_

Embers head hung lower at Cynder's words. Noticing this, Cynder frowned and looked away.

"Oh, uh... I didn't mean it that way. What I was trying to say was, uh..." Cynder fumbled over her words. She mentally sighed. _'Great. Way to put your hind leg in your mouth, Cynder. I can't help it if Spyro's the only other dragon around my age I've ever talked to before...'_

"It's alright," Ember said, looking back up with a soft smile. "I know I tend to go a bit 'out there' when I'm close to Spyro, but I can't really help it. When I'm near him, it's like all common sense I have goes flying out the window, you know?"

"Not really."

"Oh..."

Once again, Cynder found herself mentally kicking herself as Ember glanced away with a barely visible blush on her cheeks. Cursing herself for being so blunt, she lowered her head.

"I'm sorry," Cynder said, glancing away. "I'm... I'm not exactly used to this."

"Used to what?" Ember asked, looking back at her as she tilted her head.

"This," she said before shaking her head. "I mean, talking with others around my age."

"Why?"

Cynder paused, glancing away. "Let's just say...I don't really get to meet many dragons around my age in my world."

"Oh," Ember said, pausing as she straightened herself in her chair. "Why?"

Cynder froze. Her mind raced to come up with an answer that didn't involve the egg genocide at the temple. She glanced down.

"Um, well..." Cynder shuddered, glancing away. "Something... something happened during the year of the dragon that resulted in most of the eggs being scattered throughout our world. It's incredibly rare for young dragons to encounter someone around their age."

"Really? That's odd," Ember said before giving a soft smile. "My world had something similar happen to it."

At this, Cynder raised her head as she looked at Ember.

"It was on last... or rather, this... whatever, it's caught in the loop so it's a bit hard to place down when it happened." Ember said, shaking her head. "What I'm trying to say though, was that during that year of the dragon a Sorceress descended on the Dragon Realms and stole all the dragon eggs, scattering them a crossed the Forgotten Realms."

"That's terrible," Cynder said, placing her paw in front of her mouth. "Why would she do that?"

"She wanted to tear off their wings for an immortality spell," Ember said, scowling at the thought. "She was a truly horrible being for wanting to do that. Luckily though, my Spyro managed to rescue them all in time before anything serious happened." she said, her expression brightening as she gave a smile."

"That's good."

"Yeah..."

A silence followed shortly after Ember stopped speaking. Cynder cleared her throat, looking around. It wasn't long before a cheetah made his way over to their table, setting down a tray with an assortment of pastries. Cynder narrowed her eyes curiously at them. Considering she didn't even know what a cafe was to begin with, she had let Ember do the ordering for them.

"Try one. They're really good!"

Cynder watched as Ember picked up one of the pastries and began to eat. Cynder went back to looking at the display in front of her. She still didn't quite get why dragons of this world ate wheat-based foods to begin with, but her growling stomach didn't really care much. With a delicate, if somewhat apprehensive gesture, she picked up a rounded pastry that appeared to have some sort of glaze on it and brought to her mouth. Biting in, the sweet sensation filled her mouth as a hint of cherry started to mix in. She looked down to see some sort of jelly in the center of the pastry. She paused before swallowing. She had to admit, it actually was pretty good.

_'I think I'm starting to get why dragons eat bread in this world...'_

Ember smiled, giggling slightly as she watched Cynder try the new food. A thought occurred to her.

"Well," Ember began. "I told you about my Spyro, so what about yours?"

Cynder balked, unsure of exactly what the pink dragoness wanted. A comparison between the two Spyros?

"I mean, you should know him pretty well. Isn't that how most Loopers start, by having a tie to their Anchor?"

Still nervous, but calming down, Cynder considered the question. "We're pretty close," Cynder conceded, not wanting to seem like she was flaunting anything in the other dragoness's face. "We have each other's back no matter what."

"Really?" Ember prompted excitedly. "How did you do that?"

Cynder hung her head as she answered. "We both saw the worst in each other and didn't let go."

"Really? What happened?"

Cynder froze, glancing away as she bit her lip. "I...I'd rather not talk about it. It's a _long_ story..."

"Oh... Alright then," Ember said, glancing down.

Seeing the distress she had caused Cynder, Ember figured it best not to press the subject any further. A silence soon followed as Ember tried to think of a way to hopefully change the subject and clear the air. Finally, a thought occurred to her and she looked back up with a smile.

"So, what element are you?"

"Hm?" Cynder looked up from her food to see Ember staring at her.

"What's your element?" Ember asked again. "You said your world has many different elements a dragon can use. Since I told you how nearly all dragons in my world are fire dragons, I think it's fairly obvious what element I am. I was just curious though what yours was."

Cynder paused, unsure how to respond. She wasn't like most dragons, after all, what with how things in the baseline went for her. She didn't really know what her natural element was, thanks to her forced affinity with darkness. The most 'normal' element she could use was wind, and even then...

Seeing Ember waiting for a response, though, she had no choice but to wing it.

"Well, I guess it would be wind..."

"You guess?" Ember asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's a bit... _complicated._ " Cynder said, looking back down at her pastry. "In my world, no one is sure if wind is its own element or an extension of earth. I've seen several earth dragons manage to manipulate the wind, yet it's not to the same extent I can."

"Usually, they can only kick up tiny whirlwinds, yet I can do much more than that. I can create mighty gusts of wind to blow enemies away, use the wind to fly faster than most dragons, and even turn myself into a mini-tornado by circling the air around me," she continued. "Plus, there's also the fact that I've never moved the ground before. Granted, it never really crossed my mind to try..."

"Well, then maybe its something you should try in the future," Ember said, giving a soft smile. "You don't know until you try. Even if you can control wind better, you said that earth dragons can also control the wind. Maybe you're just more specialized in wind than most earth dragons."

"Maybe," Cynder said, looking back at Ember.

Cynder paused before taking another bite of her pastry. Now she was actually rather curious herself. Even if she couldn't move earth or wasn't a pure earth dragon, what was her natural element? Could she still even access it after being touched by the darkness? She wasn't really sure. If nothing else, it at least gave her something new to do in the looping future.

"You know what, Cynder?"

Cynder raised her head, looking at Ember, who had a big grin on her face.

"I'm really enjoying having you as my sister for this loop."

Cynder paused. A few seconds later, a soft smile appeared on her face.

The tranquil scene didn't last for long, however, as a loud crashing sound rang throughout the city. Ember jumped, nearly falling out of her chair in the process. Cynder raised her head, noticing a cloud of dust kicking up somewhere in the middle of the city.

"What was that!?" Ember exclaimed, looking towards the chaos.

Cynder narrowed her eyes. Something was up. She wasn't sure if it was because this world wasn't as peaceful as it appeared, but one thing was for sure—either Spyro was there dealing with it, or he was heading there right now.

"I don't know," Cynder said, hopping out of the chair and starting to head towards whatever was going on. "But I intend to find out."

Ember watched as Cynder darted off. She frowned as she looked around nervously.

"U-um, wait up!" Ember said, hopping out of her chair and following after Cynder. She didn't exactly like the idea of heading _towards_ the danger, but if things in this world were about to head south, she preferred to be with a fellow looper when it happened.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Sparx stood with his hand firmly placed on his chin. He watched as Hunter darted out of an alleyway and into another one. Then he watched as Hunter darted out of an alleyway far off in the distance and into a house...and then he watched as Hunter somehow popped out of a tree near him. Sparx looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently, either your sense of direction is just _that_ bad, or the laws of physics are out for a lunch break," Sparx said with a chuckle before he grinned. "Give up yet, cheetah boy?"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "You know, I really liked it better when I couldn't understand a word you said."

A cheeky grin appeared on Sparx's face, though it was quickly wiped off when what sounded like an avalanche echoed throughout the town. The duo raised their heads to see a cloud of dust kicking up not far off. Sparx looked at Hunter.

"Think that's where those two are?" Hunter asked, scratching his head.

"Well, if I know my Spyro well enough," Sparx said before he turned to the dust cloud. "C'mon! I get the feeling Spyro's gotten in over his head once again."

With a nod, the two darted off...in completely different directions. Sparx looked back, sighing as he darted after Hunter. Not a second later, Sparx came flying back, dragging Hunter by the ear.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at the park...**

Classic rolled towards the left, dodging a bolt of lightning before retaliating with his own. He grinned when he saw it slam into Legend, but aside from some minor sparking, the other dragon appeared no worse for wear.

 _'Seriously! What's going on here!?'_ Classic thought, charging out of the way of a fireball and sending a mini-missile flying.

Legend thanked the ancestors for this armor, unflinching as the mini-missile hit him at full force. It stung like heck, but seeing the look of horror on his counterpart's face as he came flying out of the smoke cloud with not a scratch on him was priceless. He barrelled down to the ground, his counterpart barely having time to dodge as Legend used his earth element to make huge crater where Classic had once been.

Classic was breathing heavily, but didn't have enough time to relax as giant chunks of earth came flying at him. Classic ducked, rolled to the side, jumped, and fired a missile to blow up one of the chunks as he tried his best to keep from getting hit. As the wave of rocks began to die down, Classic barely had a moment to roll to the side as his counterpart came comet-dashing towards him, the flames managing to catch his side in the process.

Getting up, Classic grunted as he clutched his burning side. He saw Legend standing firm, no sign that he had taken any damage at all. Classic scowled. _'This armor is stronger than those suits at Lofty Heights! It just can't be the metal at work here!'_

Legends smirked, standing tall. His body, however, didn't feel as good as he looked. The constant barrage of missiles and elemental attacks were slowly starting to take its toll, but the armor was doing a good job of hiding that fact. He hunkered down, ready to pounce. _'Just let the armor do its job. If my opponent won't stay still, then I'll just have to make him!'_

With that, Legend prepared another bolder trap, waiting for an opportunity. All he needed was for Classic to come within range...

Seeing the brows furrow under his helmet, Classic knew full well to stay away. Either Legend was up to something, or he was starting to become frustrated. Regardless of what the case was, Classic knew that he needed to proceed with caution lest he wanted to be reintroduced to the ground below him.

 _'Think, Spyro,'_ Classic thought, making sure to keep a watchful eye in case his counterpart tried to pull something. _'When I'm invincible, it's usually the result of fairy magic or a power-up gate. If I'm going to win this fight, I'm going to have to remember what one of the few cool elders of my world taunt me.'_

Classic smirked, memories of what Red had taunt him rushing back to mind. He began the process of letting his sight be superimposed with his magic sense. After a bit of distortion, he spotted the blue vapor that cycled the armor's structure. Satisfied with his correct prediction, Classic cast a burst of magic to the artifact to request a command line. A rectangular mirage only visible to Classic shimmered into view. Classic smirked.

_'Alright! Let's see what kind of party tricks those pieces of scrap metal are hiding!'_

Classic watched as the command line began to display the armor's response.

"GoldArmor—magicalArtifact  
Welcome. Username and Password?  
[#!]_"

Legend watched as Classic stood in almost a trance, unmoving as he stared in his direction. _'What is he up too...?'_

Legend shook his head and glared at his counterpart. If Classic wasn't going to get in range for an attack, then he would have to go on the offensive.

Classic saw Legend heading his way and frowned, quickly darting to the side as he continued to look at the armor's command line. This was going to be a challenge, trying to access this armor's enchantments while dodging a juggernaut. Classic smirked. _'Well then, challenge accepted!'_

Classic weaved in and out as he dodged every attack Legend threw at him, keeping focus on the command line. At this point, Legend expected a fake-out from Classic, yet the pursuit went on for what appeared to be for no apparent reason.

"Why are you leading me on this chase!? Do you seriously expect me to tire out with this armor on!?" Legend taunted, keeping up behind his Classic counterpart. "I've spent the entirety of my journeys with it! You might want to try something different!"

Regardless of his words, Classic kept weaving in and out as he kept the chase going, all the while keeping a close eye on what Legend thought was himself. Legend narrowed his eyes. ' _Come to think of it, why is he always looking in my direction?'_

Classic smirked before he summoned another mini-missile in his mouth. He knew he wasn't going to be able to do what he wanted with Legend on his tail, so he was going to need a distraction. Lighting the fuse, Classic spat the missile towards the ground. Legend raised an eyebrow, thinking Classic had finally lost it. However, Legend was forced to cover his eyes as the resulting explosion kicked up a massive dust cloud.

Classic smirked before he ducked behind the debris from the domino of pillars from earlier. As the cloud died down, Legend looked around for Classic. The dragon in question poked his head out from one of the collapsed pillars.

Classic smirked. _'Alright, Spyro! Get crackin', cause time's a-wasting...'_

"Welcome. Username and Password?  
[#!]Sourpuss  
[!]Invalid Username. Try again.  
[#!]Spyro  
[!]Invalid Username. Try a& !^.  
[#!]Pussycat  
[!]Invalid Username. Tr% & !^.  
[#!]_"

Classic stopped casting his thoughts to the magical artifact before him. At his third attempt for access, he had found something to exploit already? _'Huh. If I spam usernames at this thing, then the responses it gives begin to corrupt. I wonder...'_

"[#!]A  
[!]Invalid Username. Try again.  
[#!]B  
[!]Invalid Username&*(%$& !^.  
[#!]A  
[!]Invalid&*(^(%$&*(%$& !^.  
[#!]B  
[!]&*%(&)8&*(^(%$&*(%$& !^. pASSWORD?  
[#!]_"

Classic began to perform the same glitch over and over, having a good feeling like he was onto something. In the air above, Legend began scanning the battlefield, hovering in the air as he turned every which direction in an attempt to find his counterpart.

 _'Where'd he go?'_ Legend thought, making sure to be ready at a second's notice. He knew his counterpart was up to something, but exactly _what_ was starting to worry him...

"Welcome. Enter a command."

Classic grinned. _'Alright! Now I can finally get some real work done! Let's take a look-see, shall we?'_

"[#!]run EnchantmentManager. emt  
Show running enchantments, show available mana, or show available memory space?  
[#!]show enchantments

[#!]kill  
[!]This enchantment can cause damage to your magical artifact if you stop it. Continue?  
[#!]Yes  
Killing enchantment...  
[!]This enchantment is not responding. Wait for a response or Force quit?  
[#!]force quit  
...Enchantment stopped.  
[#!]_"

The blue vapor stopped cycling on the interior surface of the armor, much to Classic's satisfaction. He then closed his remote magic connection, and the armor's command line fizzled out of sight. _'Now, my best bet is to remove pieces of his armor without him noticing, and I think some telekinesis is just what the doctor ordered.'_

He requested his personal command line, and in the very right corner of his vision, another prompt appeared:

"Spyro-magician  
Enter a command.  
[#!]_"

Legend frowned, starting to become mildly annoyed with Classic's game of hide-and-seek. He began to focus harder, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the battlefield. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint purple dot hiding behind a collapsed pillar. _'Got you!'_

Legend began to dive down, wrapping himself in a blanket of fire as he began to fly faster.

"Enter a command.  
[#!]run Telekinesis. emt  
Select destination.  
[#!]select Spyro-magician/subspace  
Select target(s).  
[#!]select GoldArmor—magicArtifact/bracers, GoldArmor—magicArtifact/tailPiece, set moveSpeed to 0.25  
Found 5 targets, mov—"

"—SON OF A DRAGONHIDE!"

Classic was nearly nailed full force by the purple-and-gold roman candle, barely rolling out of the way as he was grazed by the flames. He picked himself up, glaring at his assailant while he tried to push the pain of the raw burns Legend had caused to the back of his mind. By now, both combatants stood a good distance away, and Classic was absolutely _fuming_ at the new development.

_'Great! Now I'm going to have to set up a teleport spell if I want any chance of removing that armor!'_

"[#!]run Teleport. emt  
Remembering your locations, activate teleport when ready...  
[#!]_"

"It isn't as fun to run when your opponent is just as fast, is it?" Legend taunted, getting ready to pounce with another comet-dash.

Classic smirked. Time to have some fun.

"Please, you call _that_ speed?" he taunted, hunkering down. "You just got lucky! There's no way you're going to pull that off again!"

"Oh really?" Legend said, beginning to wrap himself in another wave of flames.

Classic grinned as Legend started to head his way.

"[#!]activate teleport  
To use, focus on a location and think "teleport".  
[#!]_"

And just like that, as Legend was about to slam into him, Classic disappeared in a flurry of polygons. Legend skid to a stop, glancing around furiously.

"Wh-what!?" he exclaimed, a completely dumbfounded look on his face. _'B-but he was just here! That doesn't make any sense! There's no way that he could have—'_

"Yo, duplicate!"

Legend spun around, a scowl on his face as he saw his counterpart standing not far behind him.

"What was that about being as fast as your opponent?" Classic taunted, a cocky grin on his face.

Legend growled before shooting a bolt of lightning at Classic. Smirking, Classic once again disappeared a cluster of polygons, appearing on top of a broken pillar.

"Missed me!"

Legend narrowed his eyes. There were so many things he wanted to yell right now, but only one word escaped his lips. "How!?"

"I have my ways."

Classic smirked, teleporting out of the way of another bolt of lightning. He appeared on another pillar, sticking his tongue out as he pulled down one of his eyelids. Teleporting again, he appeared behind Legend, tapping his shoulder mockingly. Teleporting away to avoid being smacked by Legend's tail, he appeared behind a pillar.

_'Okay, enough messing around! Time to get rid of these cheap hunks of scrap metal!'_

"[from !]tailPiece successfully moved.  
[#!]_"

Classic smirked, poking his head out from behind the pillar to see the tail-piece of Legend's armor slipping off him and into Classic's subspace pocket. Legend was none the wiser. Classic was rather surprised to see Legend unaware of the magic that was currently surrounding him. _'Geez, I knew this guy was far behind, but I didn't think he was more or less from the Stone Ages!'_

"[from !]bracer3 successfully moved.  
[#!]_"

Classic grinned as the bracer was pulled off and was stored into his subspace pocket. Much to his surprise, the armor was enchanted to be a light, if not nonexistent, burden to the wearer. Maybe that was why Legend didn't notice his 'uber armor' was starting to disappear piece-by-piece, though it was still odd that he didn't detect the magic that was being used to pull this off.

 _'Oh well,'_ Classic thought, smirking as he began to focus on another piece of armor. _'If grandpa didn't have the foresight to detect magic in his loop, then that's his loss.'_

Legend growled, looking back and forth for his counterpart. _'How was he so fast!? It was almost like he was...he was...'_ Legend's eyes went wide before he smirked. _'Slowing down the passage of time! Dragon Time! Of course!'_ Legend hunkered down, starting to glow. _'Well,_ two _can play at this game!'_

With that, Legend let loose a mighty wave, the area around him warping in the process. Time had slowed to a crawl, with only Legend moving at a somewhat normal pace. He had been training to use Dragon Time in a way that wouldn't end up slowing himself down, his goal being to make it to the Well of Souls to save Cynder from her fate when she wasn't awake in any loop, but it looked like now it was going to come in handy. He couldn't keep it up forever, as he was already beginning to feel the strain it was starting to cause his body, but he knew that he wouldn't need this for long.

Classic didn't even have time to react. From his perspective, Legend began to blur as a chunk of earth magically appeared on his tail, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground with butterflies circling around his head.

Classic placed a paw on his pounding head, glancing up to see Legend standing over him.

"I'm sorry, but _what_ was that about speed?"

Classic didn't even respond, quickly teleporting behind another pillar. _'The heck was—?'_

He didn't have time to finish his thought, as he saw a purple blur heading towards him. Teleporting again, and again, and _again_ in an attempt to avoid his counterpart, he knew he needed to do something, and fast. He could sense the air becoming magically charged each time Legend began to blur, which gave him an idea of what was going on.

 _'So he_ can _use magic. I'm actually impressed,'_ Classic thought, continuing his teleportation spamming. _'Well, let's see what kind of forces are at work here!'_

"[#!] run MagicScan. emt

Scanning the surrounding area... processing...

Scan complete. Detecting powerful magical energies from the surrounding area. Effect appears to be slowing down the passage of time. Codename appears to be 'Dragon Time'.

[#!]_"

_'A time-slow spell? That's something I definitely didn't expect from someone who can't even sense magic...'_ Classic thought, keeping up his teleport spam. _'Well then, let's see how he likes someone turning their own technique against them!'_

"[#!] pull from Spyro-mystic/spells/DragonTime. emt

Copying from source... Transferring... done.

[#!] install

Installing... done.

[#!] run DragonTime. emt"

Classic blinked, an odd sensation running over him as the scenery warped around him. He looked to the side to see pieces of rock slowly falling to the ground as if gravity had become null. He smirked as he heard the footsteps heading his way from behind him. Keeping perfectly still to keep up the illusion that there was only one dragon manipulating time at the moment, Classic waited for Legend to get close.

Running full force, Legend got ready to swipe at Classic with the earth wrecking-ball he had formed around his tail. He was caught completely off guard when Classic turned around and shot a bolt of lightning from his mouth. Legend rolled across the ground before he managed to dig his claws into the dirt and right himself on his paws. Legend could only look on with mouth agape as Classic took a defiant stance.

"Wha— _how!?_ "

"Didn't I tell you before? _I have my ways!_ "

Legends narrowed his eyes before charging at Classic.

From one who wasn't manipulating time at the moment, it appeared that two blurs were locked in an intense battle. Elements and hyper-speed mini-missiles went flying everywhere as the ground began to shake from the hyper-speed battle. Suddenly, the area flashed and both fighters were forcefully dragged out of the hyper-time battle and fell backwards, grabbing their heads. Not a second later, two scrolls appeared in front of them and unrolled themselves in the air.

"Hey, I don't give a crap what you two are up to, but _cut it out with the time manipulation!_ If you two idiots end up causing a loop crash because of it, I'm sticking both your assess in the loop with Slendy! _Got it!?_

\- Ihy"

Classic cringed as the memories of that no-faced freak came flooding back. Legends wasn't sure what Ihy had meant, but judging from his counterpart's reaction, it likely wasn't a good thing.

Frowning, both fighters got back on their paws. Classic smirked. Legend's leverage was now rendered null thanks to their admin. In a flash of polygons, he teleported away.

Before Legend knew it, the smell of ash became strong and he was slammed in the side with a mini-missile. The attack hurt a lot more than it should have, but Legend forced himself to his paws as he looked around. _'What's going on!? My armor should have absorbed that blow for me!'_

Glancing down, it was only then he noticed that some pieces of his armor were unaccounted for. Legends scowled, his eyes going wide. _'WHAT!? How the hell did he—?'_

Legend didn't have time to finish that thought as he was forced to dodge missile after missile. From on top of one of the few pillars that weren't knocked over, Classic smirked.

_'Alright! Time to end this battle once and for all!'_

With that, Classic teleported from his spot back onto the battlefield, just out of Legend's sight. He grinned, starting to run one of the oddest, if surprisingly effective, spells he had ever learned.

"[#!]run Egg. emt  
[!]Not enough mana to run all 3 enchantments. Kill an enchantment?  
[#!]kill teleport. emt  
Forming shell, shrinking size...done.  
[#!]_"

As the dust started to clear, Legend scanned the battlefield, a scowl on his face. _'Now where'd he go!?'_

Legend was livid. This was one too many times that he had lost track of his opponent. What would the guardians say if they were here to see this?

He quickly began to comb the area for his annoying counterpart, and as he did, he froze in surprise at what he found. What he saw, against all logic, despite everything that had happened, was a plainly colored dragon egg. Legend quickly ran over to it, horror on his face. How could it have got there?

 _'What's this doing here!?'_ he thought. _'Thank the ancestors it wasn't destroyed in the fight! If that had happened because of me...'_ Legend shook his head, a determined look in his eyes. _'Doesn't matter now! I need to get this thing out of here. I may have failed that one loop to stop the temple raid, but I'm not about to let harm befall another egg under my—'_

"Surprise, dummy!"

Before Legend could even begin to process what was happening, Classic burst out of the egg. Legend looked on in horror as the egg shattered to pieces, almost unaware that Classic was even there.

_'Time for some overdue payback!'_

Classic pulled another mini-missile out of his subspace pocket, but this kind was much different. He didn't know how the Professor had accomplished this, but Classic was glad he did. It had come in handy during the fight against Scorch, and it was about to come in handy once again. Before Legend knew what hit him, he was pelted with a barrel full of mini-missiles, sending him flying.

As the dust began to clear, Legend was laying on the ground, breathing heavily, multiple scorch marks and bruises all over his body. Classic smirked. "Sweet dreams, duplicate."

Classic grinned, turning away and beginning to walk off. It was then he stumbled, all the blows he had taken from the battle starting to catch up to him as the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off. _'OW! ... Yeesh, might have took more of a beating than I thought.'_

He glanced back at Legend to find him still barely moving. Classic winced. _'Might have overdone it a little on the missile barrage, too...'_

As he continued to watch Legend for any sign of movement, Classic's pride over his victory began to trickle away. Taking a few seconds to reflect on his actions, Classic sighed and hung his head low. Turning around, he headed back towards Legend.

"Uh... Hey... You okay?"

_'I failed...'_

"Listen...umm... I didn't exactly mean for it to get this out of paw."

_'The eggs in the temple... I couldn't do anything, even with all the skills I built up over these loops... Even when I took Ignitus's place before the raid. Too little, too late; the apes got their way...'_

Classic watched as Legend seemed to stir. He backed away slightly, a small frown on his face. In the pit of his stomach, he was starting to get a sudden feeling of dread—like the calm before the storm.

_'...and he took advantage of my regret, my failure, my weakness, to make a fool out of me!?'_

Classic gulped before he glanced away. "Uh, hey, I'm going to see if I can get Hunter and the others here to help you. Just, uh, stay right there..."

**_'Unacceptable.'_ **

Classic turned, getting ready to leave the park and head back to the apartment in hopes of finding Hunter. His plans were cut short as a low chuckle tore through the air. Spinning back to see where it had come from, Classic could only watch, dumbfounded, as his duplicate proceeded to get up in spite of his blackened scales and swelling bruises.

 _'What the heck is this guy made of, diamonds?'_ Classic felt an uneasy feeling of dread as a dark aura began to surround Legend. He rationalized that it had to be some kind of spell that could easily be cancelled with his banish enchantment. With that in mind, he merged his magic sense on top of his sight to see what information he could glean from this new development. _'That—that's impossible! There's nothing there!'_

The creature before him sent shivers down Classic's spine. "What are you?" he breathed.

"Me?" the creature responded, his eyes shut as he chuckled. "I just finally stopped caring. About collateral damage, about pain, about restraint. Since you don't have any boundaries, I finally realized that I shouldn't either," it said with a smile. That grin had _far_ too many teeth. "Don't worry, there won't be enough of you left to stain the dirt."

With that, Legend's eyes snapped open. They were glowing eerie white as his purple scales were overtaken by deep black. Classic took a step back in shock and fear, desperately using his command line to search for whatever magical forces were at work here, but each time, the result came with no response. Classic cringed as the now demonic-looking Legend took a step forward, the sadistic toothy grin on his face causing him to gulp.

If the fight hadn't gotten out of paw before, it was _definitely_ about to now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo boy... Classic's in something deep now. Looks all his taunting and prodding is about to come back to bite him big time. At the very least, Cynder and Ember seem to be getting a long just fine.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter was a bit disjointed. We just wanted to point out why the rest of the group isn't immediately rushing to the park to stop the fight. Also, for those wondering why I'm portraying Ember and Cynder as good friends and sister figures, there are several reasons. Mostly though it's because they almost always portrayed as being at each others throats, which is a characterization I personally can't stand. Usually it's to turn one of them into a whipping girl for the authors favorite ship, another pet peev of mine I can't stand, and I find doing such as the hallmark of a very poor-to-mediocre author. Besides, turning one of them into a death eater for shipping purposes is redundant considering there's two Spyros in this story.
> 
> If the next chapter takes a while to upload, that's because it's much longer than what this fic's use to. Like, 'almost on the same length as my one-shots' long. Considering it's this battles climax, it's too be expected though. Will Classic Spyro be able to survive Legend Spyro's dark form? You'll just have to wait and see...


	10. A Classic VS A Legend finale (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.)

**(Fused loop 1.1 continued)**

**A Classic VS a Legend Finale: (Feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

The air was thick. Classic could feel beads of sweat starting to drip down his face. He was never one to give up or back down from a battle, but as his now almost demonic-looking duplicate stood before him, it didn't take much for him to realize just how out of paw this had gotten. Legend took another step forward, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Uh, dude? I think you should probably lay down. You aren't looking so good there..." Classic said, taking a few steps back.

Legend let out a slow, low chuckle as his white, almost soulless eyes stared Classic down.

"Did you hear what I just said? Or are you magicians hard of hearing?" he said, his distorted, unnerving voice sending chills down Classic's spin. "I don't care. I _will_ make you suffer. I _will_ make you plead for a swift death, and I _will_ happily deny that request."

Those were the last words Classic heard before a sharp pain shot across his chest. Legend was on him in an instant. Classic was thrown onto his back, the wind being knocked out of him in the process. That was the least of Classic's worries, as he barely caught sight of Legend's now blackened scales before he dug his claws into him. Classic shouted in pain as three large gashes opened across his chest.

Classic's eyes went wide as he saw Legend raise his claws again, his blood still dripping from them. Legend had a gleeful grin on his face. Classic shot out a stream of flames in desperation, causing Legend to flinch as he held his paw in front of him to block the flames. In his short window of opportunity, Classic managed to get his hind paws under Legend's chest, and kicked with all his might to send Legend tumbling backwards.

Getting to his paws, Classic grunted as he grabbed where Legend had scratched, looking down to see crimson starting to stain his purple scales. Classic gulped, quickly focusing on setting his teleportation spell back up again and cursing himself for cancelling it in the first place.

"[#!]activate teleport

Remembering your locations, activate teleport when—"

_'C'mon! Hurry up! Hurry up!'_

Classic gritted his teeth as he saw Legend get back up onto his paws, the possessed dragon eyeing him with a sadistic smirk. The dark dragon lunged forward once again. Classic barely rolled out of the way again as he fought past the pain throbbing from his scars. As he got to his paws, Classic thrust his paw into his subspace pocket and willed a golden orb out. Smashing it, he began to glow. As Legend came charging, Classic quickly took to the sky.

_'Thank god I had the foresight to grab some of those orbs from when I fought Ripto!'_

Classic didn't have much time to comfort himself with that fact as a solid purple beam shot up into the air and nearly nailed him head-on. Classic looked down, wincing from the strain of trying to fly with an open wound. He saw his predator looking straight at him, about to fire another beam. Classic jerked to the left, grunting in pain as he barely avoided being nailed with a Convexity beam. In retaliation, he fired a super-charged fireball back at him.

Legend grinned, unmoving as the ball of fire headed his way. Opening his maw, he shot out a Convexity beam, the raw power easily punching through the super-charged fireball like it wasn't even there. Classic's mouth fell open as he dodged out of the way, clutching his chest as he winced.

_'How is that even possible!? For Pete's sake, those fireballs can punch through solid metal!'_

Classic dived, dodging an other Convexity beam. He let out a shout of frustration and pain, trying to think of some way out of this that wouldn't end with the loop ending painfully early for him. Then, as he barely managed to weave around another beam, Classic saw the words of salvation he had been hoping for.

"[#!]activate teleport

To use, focus on a location and think "teleport".

[#!]_"

The command line didn't need to tell Classic twice. Not a second after those words appeared, Classic disappeared in a flurry of polygons. Legend sniggered, looking around at what was once a park with his glowing eyes.

"So, when you begin to fear for your life, you retreat? You truly are a coward," he said coldly, claws digging into the ground.

Classic reappeared on the ground a good ways behind Legend, eyes pleading as he clutched his chest. "Listen! I really don't want to fight anymore, alright!? It was kind of cool before, but I never planned on a deathmatch! Let's just call it off, for both our sakes!"

Legend merely turned around, a sadistic grin on his face. "Don't try to delay the inevitable. You'll exhaust yourself."

Legend opened his maw, ready to let loose another beam of Convexity. Not a second after he unleashed it, Classic was off in a flurry of polygons, the beam tearing through ground and trees like a hot knife through butter. Classic materialized behind his dark counterpart, channeling his magic into his arms as he grabbed him in a choke hold. Legend began to flail wildly, Classic holding on for dear life.

"Let go of me, you little ingrate!" Legend choked out, glaring at Classic out of the corner of his eyes.

"No way! Not until you either pass out or _calm the hell down!_ "

Legend grabbed Classic's arms, digging his claws into them as deep as he could manage before he tried to pull his counterpart off him. Classic shouted in pain, but nonetheless channeled as much magic as he could possibly muster into his arms to keep his grip strong. This went on for several seconds and, much to Classic's horror, he was slowly starting to lose ground.

_'This dragon can't be real! He should have passed out a long time ago by now!'_

Unfortunately for Classic, whatever had taken over his counterpart had proven stronger than he could have imagined. Legend pulled his arms out of the hold and flung him forward, the ground scraping against his open wounds and causing him to scream in pain. He rolled to a stop and got to his paws as blood dripped from where Legend had dug his claws.

Looking up, Classic's eyes went wide as he saw his counterpart open his maw and began to charge up a Convexity beam at near point-blank range. Even if Classic tried his teleportation spell, he wouldn't be able to pull it off in time to escape his fate. Closing his eyes as tight as he could and raising his paws in front of him, Classic waited for the inevitable.

However, much to his surprise, it never came.

"... Sparx!"

Classic's mouth was open as his eyes went wide in relief. Never before had he been so happy to see his constant companion in his entire life.

Sparx gritted his teeth, his body a now dull shade of blue as he kept up a shield against the raw power of the beam. Sparx may have been specialized in shielding magic, but the sheer power of this beam had almost knocked him down to his green coloration from that blow alone. Barely staying in place as is, Sparx struggled to look back at Classic without losing focus, as that was all that stood before them and certain doom.

"Well, what are you waiting for, you idiot!? _Move, move, move!_ "

Classic snapped back to reality, getting ready to cast a teleportation spell to get them both out of there. However, no sooner had Classic booted the spell up did the Convexity beam falter as Legend let out a grunt of pain. Looking towards his counterpart, Classic saw an arrow sticking out of his shoulder.

"Yo! Spyro!"

Classic turned his head, a grin on his face as he saw Hunter not far off.

"Next time you try to take on some demonic entity, how about going in with some backup first?" Hunter joked, joining Classic's side as he aimed an arrow towards Legend.

"Trust me, I think I learned the lesson the hard way!" Classic replied before he looked back at his counterpart.

Legend pulled the arrow out of his hide, blood dripping from the wound as he tossed it away. Looking over to Hunter, he growled.

"Out of my way," he said evenly. "I'm only after _him._ " As a counterpoint to his almost civil words, the venom that dripped from his last word was almost enough to make them physically ill.

"No way, you insane freak!" Sparx said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah! You mess with one of us," Hunter said, notching an arrow in his bow. "...You mess with _all_ of us!"

Legend growled, eyes narrowed as he stared the trio down. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, his expression lightened.

"Alright," Dark Spyro agreed evenly, almost pleasantly. The mood shift caused the three to balk. "You die first."

The statement was followed up with a Convexity beam aimed straight at Hunter. Classic Spyro's eyes widened. Hunter, who didn't have any way to block or dodge—he was aiming that impossible thing at Hunter! Classic could only watch in horror as the beam came closer to Hunter, who was trying to get out of the way, but it wouldn't be in time. Then Sparx's barrier again flared to life, eating Dark Spyro's attack long enough for Hunter to get out of the way, turning Sparx green.

When the attack ended, the three Classic loopers took a moment to gape at the Legend anchor.

"What the hell, man!?" Classic Spyro yelled. "You were going to kill Hunter! He has nothing to do with this!"

At that, Dark Spyro actually began to laugh. "Oh, and now we see the hypocrisy! You're free to do what ever the fuck you want, but the instant I do something you don't expect, you call foul!"

Dark Spyro's voice grew deeper as he growled, "I warned him of what would happen if he stood in front of you. He made a choice! Don't talk to me about how he was innocent. YOU. USED. AN. EGG. AGAINST. ME! You think you can use him as some impregnable shield, coward? If the fastest way to you is through him, guess what? I'm taking it. When he stepped on that battlefield, it should have been with the knowledge that he would die. Don't start crying just because the killing happens in front of you..."

Dark Spyro started to laugh again. "But, oh, you ignored my warning about that, didn't you? 'I always save everybody anyways.' Well, well, well, coward. It looks like you've got three options: give yourself up, kill me, or watch as I pick your little pals in your superhero club off one by one and then make sure you die with the knowledge that you couldn't save them..." Dark Spyro chuckled again. "And, for the record, you won't be killing me."

"Who said I would kill you? What kind of hero would that make me? For that matter, what kind of hero are _you_? Before we fought, didn't you say that I needed empathy or whatever? Where's your empathy, huh!?"

Legend attempted to think of a dark-humored response, yet he was cut off again. This time, Classic's voice strengthened and the dark dragon yielded. "No, don't speak, I'm not finished."

Classic's eyes narrowed as he jabbed a claw in Legend's direction, struggling not to wince from his scabbing cuts. "You threw empathy out the window, and you tried to kill my friend! Then, you try to justify it by saying that I turned into an egg! I don't know what your deal is with eggs and killing people, but let me tell you that there is a huge difference between those concepts! If eggs are a sensitive topic to you, then I apologize. There, I said it. But, that gives you no right to kill, especially when I had no idea that you would react this strongly! So do us all a huge favor and _relax_. Remember what I said before the fight? _RELAX_!"

A blank expression was worn on the demon's face after that outburst. Legend's true eyes flickered in the white haze that had replaced them, but alas, it was short-lived, and his face creased into a scowl. His dark form took control of his mouth and tried another personal attack. "I also said you need to grow up. You treat this like a game! When you step onto the battlefield, you die. Plain and simple. Only in an act of divine mercy is it that you survive. And you're fine with that...as long as it doesn't happen to you."

"You're willing to go the distance, just as long as that fire isn't burning you or anyone you know. But the instant it does...then you cry "Stop! No! You've gone too far!" But the fact is, if I told you the same thing you'd tell me to suck it up, because you are better than me. If you aren't willing to swallow your own crap don't go using it on someone else!"

Classic deadpanned. He didn't need this, not from a potential murderer, _not_ from a psycho who tried to rip his guts out. "I decided that this fight went too far when you _turned black_ and _got up_ after I shot you with a full barrel of missiles. So take that argument that you just pulled from under your tail, and suck it."

"Only because I _got up_. Tell me, what would have happened if I hadn't gotten up? Weren't you _leaving_? And really, if you thought it had gone too far, it would have been _before_ you shot me. Stop lying to me... Or maybe, it's time for you to stop lying to yourself."

With his brows lowering, Classic had more than enough of Legend's stabbing words. "I was leaving to get Hunter so _we_ could get _you_ some medical attention! On top of that, I know how much damage those missiles inflict. I wouldn't have used them if they would've killed you; I used them to end the fight. And apparently, they did the job. Now, it isn't a fight at all. It's _animal control_." His last words dripped with exasperation. Classic couldn't bear to hear this liar anymore, but Legend opened his mouth again, much to his chagrin.

"Right... You were going to get help, just like we left Hunter's so that you could show me some of the technologies that this world has to offer, right?" He made a mocking clap.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get really sick of this guys BS," Hunter whispered, getting ready to pull out another arrow. "I say if this guy isn't going to listen to reason, we're just going to have to _make_ him."

Classic narrowed his eyes. Some part of him wanted to believe Hunter's words, but at the same time, he wasn't sure how to go about this. This guy had already attempted to kill him, and Classic could barely hold his own against him as is. He frowned. He hated backing down from a fight, but at the end of the day, he would be willing to sacrifice some pride in return for _staying alive._

"As much as I hate say it, Hunter, we're going to have to back off until we come up with a plan," Classic said flatly.

Ignoring the frown on Hunter's face, Classic brought up his command line and got ready to activate his teleportation spell. He focused on bringing Hunter and Sparx along with him this time.

"[#!] run teleport. emt

Multiple entities detected for teleportation. Additional magic power required."

Classic growled in annoyance, beginning to focus on transferring more magical energy to the spell. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to have the time needed to do so.

"Look out!"

Classic was knocked out of his trance-like state as Sparx darted in front of him and Hunter, casting a shield spell to block a Convexity beam about to tear into them. As the beam dissipated, Sparx disappeared in a puff of smoke. Classic glared forward, growling as he saw Legend standing there with a sadistic grin on his face.

"What's the matter? Did finally realizing how much of an idiot you are stun you into forgetting I was here?"

"I don't think we're going to get a chance to back off, Spyro," Hunter said flatly, drawing an arrow and getting ready to fire.

Classic bared his fangs. This was seriously bad. There was no way he'd get a chance to channel his magic into the teleportation spell, and he knew for a fact that there was no way Hunter would last long if he was in direct confrontation with this psycho. He wasn't too worried about Sparx, though. As soon as he got in the general facility of a magic butterfly, the magic that linked him to Classic would restore him back to life...

That was when it hit Classic. It was by far no permanent solution to their problem, but at least it would keep Hunter from getting killed for the time being.

"Hunter," Classic said, glancing over to his friend. "You still have your jetpack in your subspace pocket?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need you to go collect some fodder animals so I can bring Sparx back into this."

"What!?" Hunter said, turning his head towards Classic. "What about you, though!? I can't just let you fight this monster alone!"

"We don't have a choice, Hunter!" Classic said, his voice becoming more commanding by the second. "You saw what those beams he fires can do! There's no way we'll make it through this battle without Sparx here to shield us from it!"

Hunter frowned, looking between his friend and the monster he would have to face alone for the time being. He growled, but nonetheless knew Classic was right.

"Just...try to stay alive until I get back, okay?"

With that, Hunter darted behind Classic, putting his bow back in his subspace before pulling his jetpack out. Classic could feel beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead.

_'Trust me, Hunter. I think that's what a good portion of this battle is about to come down to...'_

* * *

**_Meanwhile..._ **

Cynder's left eye twitched.

"What do you _mean_ you won't let us by!?" she demanded, stomping her paws on the ground as she took an offensive stance.

The guard dragon looked down with an imposing eye. "Sorry, young lady, but it's far too dangerous to let anyone by, let alone children."

"Then why the heck aren't you people down there stopping it!?" she growled, narrowing her eyes at the dragon.

The guard looked down at her before turning his head towards the chaos at the park. He watched as a purple beam erupted towards the sky in a bright flash. His eyes went wide and he gulped before turning back towards the disgruntled dragoness. Clearing his throat, he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"We...we believe that situations like this have a natural tendency to work themselves out."

Cynder's eye twitched again before she turned around with a groan.

 _'Cowards,'_ she muttered under her breath before she began to head back towards Ember.

Ember blinked, sitting in place as she watched the scene. She glanced over Cynder to catch sight of purple beams shooting up into the sky. Her eyes went wide before she looked back at Cynder.

"Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this..." she muttered to herself. "Are we sure we should be heading towards the giant beams of light shooting up in the sky?"

"If you don't want to, you can stay here," Cynder said before looking back towards whatever was going on at the park. "I don't think I have much of a choice, though. I get the feeling my Spyro is down there, and from the look of things, he needs help."

Cynder narrowed her eyes at the ongoing chaos. It was far more than just a feeling. She knew there were only two dragons in her world that were capable of firing Convexity beams, and since the 'admin' said that one of them wasn't in this loop, it didn't take much to figure out who it was through process of elimination.

Ember paused, biting her lip as she looked back at the chaos. She didn't like the idea of going down there, not one single bit. However, she didn't want to let Cynder go into that madness by herself. She also didn't like the idea of being left alone in the city, especially if stuff like that was going to break out at random. She lowered her head, sighing as she shook it.

"How are we supposed to get past them, though?" Ember said, raising her head. "It's not like you can just force your way through. The loops may reset everything, but I'd still like to avoid spending a loop running from the police if I can."

Cynder paused, turning back towards the world's wimpiest police force with a scowl. She needed to get by, and from what she'd seen so far, she could easily take them, not even accounting for the extra experience she had gained from the loops. However, Ember was right. She didn't want to spend one of her rare peaceful loops on a wanted list, especially considering her baseline. She narrowed her eyes. She could probably use her shadow element to sneak past them, but she had never tried using the element while carrying another dragon before. Besides, part of her didn't exactly want to reveal the fact that she had an affinity with the darkness to her sister yet.

Cynder blinked. Had she just thought of Ember as her sister? True, it was part of the loop, but...

Cynder shook her head. She didn't have time to think about it. Spyro needed her help. Looking up at the sky, she smirked.

"I think I have an idea," Cynder said, spreading her wings. "They may be able to block the ground, but I'd like to see them stop someone in the air!"

"Uh, wait!" Ember said, raising her paw up towards Cynder. "I—"

Unfortunately, before she could finish, Cynder was already off. Ember watched as Cynder shot up into the air, frowning as she hunkered down in defeat.

"—can't...fly..."

Cynder pumped her wings as fast as she could, going higher and higher until she was sure she was out of the guards' sight. She smirked. She'd like to see those guards try and stop her from way up here—

Cynder looked forward, stopping dead in her tracks as she could not believe the sight that was before her. She could feel her left eye starting to twitch again as she saw a gathering of dragons in uniform before her, most of them just hovering there, some of them holding barriers. Cynder was silent for a few seconds, expression blank as she tried to process the sheer absurdity of what was in front of her. Finally, she scowled and let out a low growl.

"Oh _come on!_ That doesn't even make _any sense!_ "

* * *

Classic darted to the left, a Convexity beam missing him by inches. Sparx darted behind him, having managed to regain his form, though he was sickly green. Classic knocked a sheep Hunter had thrown towards him down with his horns, the fodder animal releasing a butterfly that Sparx happily went to chow down on. As Sparx regained a blue coloration, Classic looked back to see Legend charging at him. With barely any time to react, Classic rolled out of the way to avoid being pounced upon.

He shot a wave of flames towards Legend, the dark dragon flinching and giving Classic enough time to put some distance between them. Legend growled, looking back towards his counterpart with a scowl. Classic looked around for another fodder animal. He knew if he wanted to get through this, he was going to have to keep Sparx as healthy as possible. Legend scoffed.

"If all you're going to do is play with butterflies this entire battle, then you might as well accept your fate now," Legend stated coldly, and followed it up with a sadistic chuckle. "You truly are an infant. No wonder you like to hide in your egg."

"This coming from a psychopath who's trying to kill everyone he gets his paws on!" Classic spat back, scowling as he got ready to move at a moment's notice. "I can hardly believe you're supposed to be me from another world! How the hell were you ever considered a hero in your world!?" Classic growled, smoke flaring from his nostrils.

At this, Legend began to scowl, hunkering down as if getting ready to pounce.

"You keep throwing that line back in my face. 'What kind of hero are you?' 'How could you ever be a hero?' Tell me, when did I _ever_ call myself a hero?" Legend asked coldly, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh lord, don't tell me this is really some 'evil twin from an alternate dimension' business," Sparx muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Classic narrowed his eyes, keeping a close eye on Legend as the dark dragon began to circle him.

"Let me tell you something about my world... I'm no hero. I never claimed to be, and never thought of myself as such," Legend said coldly, narrowing his eyes. "I was just a dragon that knew nothing about his heritage, and naïvely went off in hopes of finding out about it. Want to know what I found?"

Classic said nothing, silently watching Legend while being prepared to bolt the second he saw any moves towards him.

"' _Surprise! You're actually a legendary dragon we're going to send off into the middle of a three year war despite only being a child!'_ " Legend said in a mocking voice, raising his head up before he went back to glaring at Classic. "Before I knew it, _everyone_ was expecting miracles out of me, expecting a _child_ to do something _millions_ of _adults_ couldn't!"

Legend began to shake, digging his claws into the ground as he narrowed his eyes. "They never _once_ stopped to realize the amount of pressure they were putting on me, or the danger. No..." Legend growled, the earth below him beginning to shake. "They were all too worried about themselves. They expected me to be this pillar of strength, to be this 'knight in shining armor', to _be_ a perfect hero. A perfect _soldier..._ "

Legend turned to face Classic, his voice becoming icy cold. "I think you can see the result," he stated, hunkering down with a scowl. "So you see, there are no heroes. Just idiots who ' _luck_ ' into their position and are expected to magically make the world better until they die."

Classic glared at Legend, making sure to move at a moment's notice. A silence soon followed, as both sides were at a stalemate. Finally, Classic spoke.

"I get it," Classic said, his glare unmoving. "Your loop is horrible. You were forced into something you didn't want to do, and couldn't handle the pressure until it turned you into what you are now." Classic said, his tone of voice unchanging. "If you're looking for pity, then fine. I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you."

With that, Classic turned to face Legend, hunkering down as he scowled. "However, there's one little thing your argument forgot about."

Legend chuckled sadistically. "Oh, and what's that?" he asked in an amused voice.

"Well, unlike you, I _chose_ to do all my adventures," Classic said, a tiny flare escaping his nostrils. "When those idiots who thought they could take over the realm reared their ugly mugs, I was the first one to jump into the battle to stop them! I was never dragged into it, and I certainly never went crazy from it!" Classic said, beginning to bare his fangs. "So don't go saying there's no such thing as heroes, because I know for a _fact_ that there is!"

Legend said nothing, appearing to be moderately surprised by Classic's response. Silence fell over the two. Legend began to chuckle before it turned in to a full on laugh. Classic scowled.

"Exactly what's so funny!?" he spat, digging his claws into the ground.

Legend's laughter began to subside, and he looked at Classic with an amused expression. "Sorry, but that was just too rich," he said with an unnervingly amused voice before he shot Classic a glare. "Refresh my memory... Didn't you say your first adventure started because all the dragons in your realm were turned to stone?"

"Yeah, so?" Classic said, narrowing his eyes.

Legend smirked sadistically. "And you were the only one who wasn't, correct?"

"What are you, hard of hearing? Yeah!"

Sparx narrowed his eyes and was suddenly hit by what Legend was doing. He quickly turned to Classic. "Spyro, wai—"

"So, in other words, you were the only one who _could_ do anything about it, all because you were _lucky_ enough not to get hit with a spell."

Classic stood silent, growling at Legend's words as smoke escaped his nostrils. Sparx glared at Classic's demonic counterpart, who was grinning sadistically.

"...Fine, I'll give you that," Classic said coldly. "But that doesn't change the fact that my other adventures were of my own choice!"

"Really now?" Legend asked, narrowing his eyes. "Why don't you tell me about them, then? That way we can know for sure whether or not you're truly a _hero_ like you claim to be," Legend said coldly before he began to glow a soft orange. "In fact, why don't we make this interesting?"

Classic tensed up. He had no idea what his counterpart was up to, but from what he had seen so far, it was likely nothing good.

Legend's grin grew wider. He could sense it, the odd power that had been brought on from that horrid loop. He had no idea what it truly was, but he liked it. He hadn't been able to tap into that power again for all the preceding loops. Until _now,_ that was. He grinned. It was time to _experiment._

Legend rose into the air, almost unnaturally. He wings didn't move, nor did he seem to be hovering. He was just floating in the air, body tightening as he appeared to be storing up power. Classic could feel sweat starting to drop down his forehead, though whether it was from the heat or from fear...

It was only then that Classic noticed the sudden raise in temperature. Looking down, his eyes went wide as the ground appeared to have steam coming off it. It was then the ground started to shake, Classic barely able to keep his balance. His head darted back and forth as watched the chaos going on around him, the heat growing more intense as the ground started to crack. He looked up at Legend, who was glowing even more brightly, his eyes closed shut. Then, as he opened them, he let out a mighty roar and a blinding flash of light engulfed the area.

Classic was forced to close his eyes as Sparx grabbed onto him to keep from being blown away. Disoriented, Classic slowly opened his eyes. They shot open wide at what he saw.

The grassy patch he had been standing on had been turned into a jagged mound of rock. All around him he could see lava where land had once been, the bright orange glow almost blinding. He flinched at the intense heat. He had been around lava before on his adventures, but even then the heat he was feeling right now was almost unreal. He glanced up, placing a paw on his forehead to block out the blinding light. There, Legend hovered in the air, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Now then, let's see exactly what kind of _hero_ you are."

Classic tried his best to process the scene around him. He had no idea how his counterpart had done it, but he had somehow turned the area around him into a lake of lava. He scowled. His teleport had been rendered almost near useless, unless he felt like teleporting himself into a hot and painful bath. He thought about how he could possibly get out of this. The super orb could possibly help, giving him the ability to fly, but he ran the risk of Legend out-maneuvering him and tossing him into the lava. Classic was a good flier thanks to all the trips to the speedways, but considering his duplicate could fly under his own power while he couldn't...

 _'If I could just cool this place down with enough water...but that's impossible. Even with my water breath, it would take way too long, and I can't shoot water to make a platform because it would give away where I would be heading...'_ Classic thought with a scowl. This whole situation just screaming 'you're screwed, buddy.'

Legend smirked, hovering in the air. "So, let's hear about your other adventures, shall we? It would be a shame for you to die before you can tell me all about your tales of _heroism._ " Legend could barely contain his enjoyment, cupping his paws around his face like a child engrossed in a fairy tale. _'This is going to be a riot.'_

Classic was slightly caught off guard by Legend's sudden mood shift, but nonetheless didn't buy it for a second. Considering the last time he'd suddenly got cheerful, he'd attempted to murder Hunter in cold blood...

Classic shook his head. He knew his counterpart was up to _something_ , but he wasn't sure what. In the mean time, though, he decided to take advantage of this reprieve and entertain his enemy, if only to buy time for him to figure out a way around his teleportation being rendered useless.

"Fine then. Since you seem so interested, who am I to deny your curiosity?" Classic said with a smirk. "It all started on a rainy day in the Artisan Realm..."

And so Classic began to recount his adventures during his stay at Avalar. How he came upon, how he had helped the inhabitants of his own free will, and how he had kicked Ripto's butt six ways to Sunday. All the while, though, in the back of Classic's mind, he was racing with ideas for how to get out of this situation.

 _'I need to cool the ground so it can be safe for my teleportation, and I need a way to make it appear right there when I land on it so it doesn't give away where I'm heading... Wait...'_ Classic thought, managing to keep his story-telling charade up rather well. _'This is crazy, but I don't really have any other choice. I really hope this works, because otherwise I'll be in for a world of hurt!'_

"[#!]about Telekinesis. emt maximum weight

Telekinesis can handle a maximum of seventy five kilograms at current mana

[#!]about Teleport. emt maximum weight

Teleport can handle a maximum weight of three hundred kilograms at current mana"

_'I think I might actually be onto something here...'_

"So, anyways, I came upon this portal that lead to Zephyr, a land that was caught in a war with Breeze Harbor and— _cough, cough!_ "

Classic turned his head behind him as he 'coughed', while in reality he was attempting to pull one over on Legend. With each cough, he spat out a few small blobs of water which he quickly caught with his telekinesis spell. Holding them behind him, and with Legend none the wiser, he scratched the back of his head in a mock embarrassed gesture.

"Sorry about that," Classic said, a mock sheepish grin on his face. "All the ash from this lava is really starting to mess with my throat."

Legend smirked. "No problem. I'm kind of impressed, you managing to pull off such feats of _heroism_ despite having such bad allergies."

It took everything Classic had to keep a straight face. _'Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, ya blind idiot!'_

With that, Classic went back to stalling for time. He began to get a general assumption of what he would need to do to keep his plan going. Exactly how much magic he would need to focus into his telekinesis spell, how to keep the consistency of it by adding more water to it when need be, and how much magic he would need to layer over the water to keep it from boiling. He could sense Sparx glancing over to him, knowing that the dragonfly could sense he had something planned.

Classic smirked. No sooner did he finish recounting his tale of Avalar did he finally finish his magic calculations. _'Okay, here goes nothing...!'_

"So anyways, there ya have it! I chose to help all the people in Avalar of my own will! Like a hero _should!_ "

"What a very interesting tale," Legend said, crossing his arms. "Clearly, it was quite the adventure."

"Sure was!" Classic said with a defiant grin.

"Too bad it still proves my point."

The smirk was wiped off Classic's face before it was quickly replaced with a scowl. Classic narrowed his eyes. "Wha—no way! I chose to help the people of Avalar—"

"Because an intellectually gifted mole summoned you through a portal, a portal that you happened to step through at that _specific_ time, and had to be deactivated because the evil dictator trying to take over the realm showed up shortly after," Legend said, a sadistic grin on his face. "On top of that, they weren't even summoning you specifically. You said they needed _a_ dragon. _Any_ dragon could have been put in that same exact position. Even not accounting for that, there's still the fact that the only reason you helped the other realms was because you needed the talismans and orbs from them if you wanted to return home. You _had no choice_ in that matter."

Legend grinned as he watched Classic's face go blank for a few seconds. Classic didn't realize how badly he had trapped himself in his own words there, truly believing that his tale of Avalar would be enough to shut his dark counterpart up.

 _'Crap... I never thought of it that way before...'_ Classic scowled, shaking his head.

Seeing his friend's distressed state, Sparx hovered closer to him. "Careful, Spyro. Don't let this evil twin of yours get inside your head."

Classic nodded. "Right. This guy is just trying to mess with me." With that, the smirk returned as he glared at Legend.

Legend scoffed. "What's the matter? Has realizing how wrong you are caused you to go mad?"

"Nope. I'm just amused by how wrong _you_ are," Classic said, a faint magical glow around him. "I chose to be a hero then, and I choose to be a hero now!"

With that, Classic brought out his current trump card. The blob of water he was concealing began to expand around him, held in place by his telekinesis. Before Legend could even catch wind of what Classic was up to, said dragon had teleported away in his water bubble with Sparx, appearing a few inches above the lava lake.

_'I really, REALLY hope this works!'_

As Classic began to fall down in the bubble, he could hear the hissing sound of lava cooling under him. Focusing as much magic as he could on _not_ being boiled alive, the lava began to solidify and Classic soon landed on solid rock. Taking a moment to steady his nerves, he looked up to see his counterpart's face curled in a scowl, fangs barred as he let out a low growl. Classic smirked at his handiwork.

 _'Go ahead, give it all you got!'_ Classic thought with a grin. _'Don't matter_ what _you throw at me! You aren't going to keep me down!'_

* * *

Cynder tapped her paw impatiently as she watched the guards look back at the chaos like the world was ending. She knew her Spyro was down there, and seeing the park suddenly turning into a field of lava, she knew she needed to get down there as quickly as possible. The problem was trying to get past 'officer of the year' here. She growled. Forcing her way past them was seeming more like a viable option by the second.

"Um... Maybe we can bribe them with donuts?" Ember suggest, a claw on her chin. "Cops like donuts."

Cynder shot her a flat glance. Ember scratched the back of her head in response as she gave a sheepish grin.

"It was only a suggestion," she said before going back to silently thinking of ideas.

Several seconds passed, and Cynder grew more impatient by the second. She began to growl before hunkering down. No sooner was she about to say "Alright, screw this!" did Ember quickly place a paw on her shoulder.

"I have an idea!"

* * *

Cynder wasn't sure if this was brilliant or just incredibly ridiculous. Disguising themselves as bushes wasn't too out there. Doing it in the middle of a city seem strange. Doing it in the middle of city _and_ using donuts to distract cops was just plain silly.

The crazy part, though? It _worked_.

Cynder pulled herself out of the bush, looking a ways back at the cops munching on a box of donuts that Ember had placed just in their sights. Cynder struggled to say anything, a blank look on her face as words failed her. She looked over to Ember, who had an innocent smile on her face.

"See? Told you cops like donuts."

Cynder opened her mouth, trying to force anything remotely sounding like a word out. Finally, defeated, she managed to ask the obvious. "Just... _how?_ "

Ember glanced away, a sheepish grin on her face. "It's a long story, actually. It involved a loop where several cops had set up a strict 5 PM curfew, some shenanigans involving a giant nutty bar, and a lot soap."

Seeing the utterly dumbfounded look on Cynder's face, Ember scratched the back of her head. "Trust me. It makes about as much sense being there as explaining it."

Cynder sat at a loss for words, but the sound of explosions going off in the distance snapped her back to reality. Shaking her head, she narrowed her eyes towards the ongoing chaos.

"Never mind that now. Spyro needs help!"

With that, Cynder charged towards the sound of explosions without a moments' hesitation. Ember paused, watching the explosions and flowing lava in the distance with wide eyes. She gulped, but nonetheless was quick to chase after her loop sister.

* * *

Classic thought himself a genius after the recent invention of his water shield. However, as he warped from point to point to avoid Legend's unholy wrath, he realized that he had just dug himself into a ditch. _'Crap. I didn't realize it until now, but how the heck am I suppose to attack back? This shield makes most of my elements useless, and if Grimdark here finds a way around this bubble, I'm screwed. Unless...'_

Legend fired blasts of magma at his opponent in disbelief. The violet insect should have died by now, along with his annoying posse. How hard could it be to kill a magician, anyway?

Another stroke of inspiration came to Classic, and he swam closer to the edge of the aquatic barrier as he continued teleporting, letting loose streams of ice. Lines began to form on the surface, and matrices of crystals soon followed. Moments later, saucer-sized caps of ice floated on the outer edge, ready for use as weapons. Classic admired his handiwork, the idea stolen from the icicles Legend shot at him near the beginning of the fight. _'I'd better keep up the good ideas, it's the only reason why I'm still alive.'_

Legend charged forward, attempting to unleash another blast of Convexity, and Classic smirked as he shot the ice shards out at the dark dragon. Legend staggered back from the onslaught before Classic teleported away once again. Regaining his balance, Legend growled as he looked around for his counterpart. Classic teleported behind one of the pillars that hadn't collapsed to collect his thoughts.

 _'Okay, so far, so good,'_ Classic thought, setting his ice shards back up. _'Not sure if this'll be enough, though. If anything, it'll at least give me some platforms to stand on if I have to drop this.'_ Classic glanced down towards the three scars his counterpart had branded his chest with. _'Odd... My chest is starting to feel a lot better since I put this shield up. Is the magic holding this up healing me somehow...?'_

Legend narrowed his eyes, a scowl on his face as he looked around for his counterpart.

"For someone who claims they aren't a coward, hiding seems to be your favorite tactic!" Legend proclaimed, beginning to fly around the battlefield in search of Classic. "What's the matter? Has realizing that your adventures boil down to coincidence taken away your will to fight?"

Classic scowled. He teleported in front of his counterpart and began to bombard him with ice shards.

"Enough with the 'it's all a coincidence, there are no heroes' crap!" Classic said before teleporting behind his counterpart and starting the shard rain anew. "Just because you found a flaw in two of my adventures doesn't prove anything!"

Legend glanced behind at his counterpart before he flew up into the air to escape the rain of ice shards. Looking down, he saw Classic's face curled into a scowl. Legend smirked. He could tell he was getting desperate to prove him wrong.

"Oh really? Well, alright then," Legend said, a sadistic grin on his face. "If you believe that so adamantly, then why don't you tell me about another one of your idiotic misadventures?"

Classic growled. It was time to shut this guy up for good. His story about fighting the Sorceress should be more then enough. But at the same time, Classic was a bit hesitant to bring up the fact that a whole years worth of eggs had been kidnapped, lest it caused this guy to go even more insane than he already was. Still, it was one of his more heroic exploits. Going down that rabbit hole to a forgotten land to save a generation's worth of eggs, all because...

_'...because I was the only one small enough to fit down the hole.'_

Classic shook his head. _'NO! Do_ NOT _let this guy get in your head!'_ Classic looked up at the smirk on his counterpart's face and responded by baring his fangs. _'Still, I can't use that now because he'll end up throwing that in my face... Alright then, how about this!'_

"Fine, since you asked so _nicely_ ," Classic said, a whole load's worth of disdain in his voice. "There was the time Red attacked the Dragon Realms. He revived Gnasty and began to place dark stones all over the realms. Said stones warped the area around them and messed with how everyone acted. When the Professor told me about this, I was the first one to jump at that chance. _Of my own choice,_ " Classic said, giving a defiant smirk. "Or are you so far gone right now that you believe even remotely _hearing_ of a disaster doesn't count as a choice?"

Legend was silent for a few seconds before a smirk found its way to his face. Hovering in the air, his almost soulless eyes looked down upon his counterpart. "Interesting... You say that these stones mess with how people act... How so?"

Classic raised his eyebrow. "Well... I dunno. _Everyone_ was wonky at the time. I think it like brings out certain traits in people and locks them into it or...something."

Legend was silent before a grin appeared on his face. Classic narrowed his eyes, knowing he was up to something. The dark dragon placed his paw on his head, giving his counterpart an icy cold stare. "So you're saying that these gems bring out certain traits in people?"

"Yeah. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Oh, I heard you...but do _you_ realize what _you're_ saying?"

Classic's face went blank at his counterpart's words. Seeing his confusion, Legend grinned sadistically.

"Allow me to explain," Legend said, narrowing his eyes. "If the gems bring out certain traits in people, how can you say it was your _choice_ to stop the one causing it? How do you know it wasn't the gems that influenced you to do so?"

Classic's eyes went wide. Legend chuckled at the sheer look of dread on his counterpart's face.

"Now you're getting it. Without the gems there to influence you, who's to say you wouldn't have declined? Unless you have some way to prove that you chose to help of your own free will, it's just another case of right place, right time."

Classic narrowed his eyes, wanting to say something to shut his counterpart up, wanting to say _anything_ to fight his claim, but...

 _'Gah!'_ Classic grabbed his head. _'Okay, calm down! Just because..._ four _of your adventures have been proven to just be coincidence doesn't mean this monster is right! Come on, you must have another adventure that can shut him up! Uh...'_

Sparx looked towards his Spyro, seeing his friend beginning to twitch as he tightened his closed eyelids. Sparx's eyes went wide. Raising a hand, he went to try to comfort him. "Spyro? C'mon, man. Don't let him get to you!"

Sparx got no response. Spyro just continued to shake.

_'The Sorcerer! ...No, I was the only one who could fight him because my magical abilities were the only ones that could rival his, and Ragnar was only willing to train me to fight the shadow minions! Come on, think! Think!'_

Sparx placed his hand on Spyro's shoulder, starting to shake him to knock him out of his trance. "Spyro! Please, snap out of it!"

Classic didn't respond; small droplets started to form around his eyes before merging with his water shield.

_'He can't be right! He can't be right! I must have something to shut him up! Come on, he can't be right, I'm a hero, he can't be right, he can't be—'_

Legend grinned as he saw his counterpart begin to break down. It was time to end this pathetic battle once and for all. A spiked mace of rocks coalesced around him and he shot forward with unimaginable speed, planning to keep his momentum by rolling up the slopes of the lava court. Legend would have to hit the fool eventually, especially after he had finally begun to break him. Classic would finally pay dearly.

"SPYRO!"

Classic opened his eyes at Sparx's shout and looked up, mouth dropping as he barely dodged the barbed boulder. Realizing his counterpart was now likely dead-set on turning him into road kill, he managed to pull himself together enough to begin evading once again. Twice more, he evaded the sphere of minerals as it surfed the lava court like a skateboard park. He stopped his warping, however, when the rumbling of rock ceased.

Panicked, Classic whipped his head around to locate his assailant and, before Sparx could warn his companion, he was answered by a meteor that punched straight through the aqueous shell he'd set up. The water absorbed some of the impact and shattered Legend's mineral exterior as it rippled spasmodically, but Sparx once again fell to a dull green hue.

"Look what we have here. Tweedle-dim's shield wanes as I speak, and Tweedle-crazy isn't bringing enough animal sacrifices to support it. Only one more hit, and you're mine, hero."

Classic couldn't form a rebuttal from within his liquid shield, so his only response was to shed both the shattered and intact plates of ice, and fling them at his relentless tormentor. Legend was caught off guard by a lack of back-talk from his counterpart, and quaked from the impact of the dense glass-like icicles that shattered against his chest. He slowly raised his glowing empty eyes to Classic and swore. "You slippery _bastard_. One too many times I ran my mouth and let you recuperate. I'll end you now, you _fucking excuse for a purple dragon!_ "

Legend grinned sadistically once again as he felt an odd combination well up inside him. It was like when he had summoned the magma, but instead of a combination of fire and earth, this was a combination of fire and ice. _'Perfect!'_

Legend opened his maw, a massive stream of steam shooting at his counterpart and slamming against his water shield. Classic was caught off guard, unsure of what his counterpart was attempting to do. Much to his horror, he felt the water in his bubble begin to heat up.

_'What!? No! My magic is supposed to keep the water from boiling! How!?'_

Classic began to twitch as the water began to bubble, horrified that Legend was trying to boil him alive, his magic seemingly useless against what was allowing Legend's stream of searing steam to heat up the water. Legend couldn't help but feel elated at the victory he was about to attain, and the pain that his opponent would experience before forfeiting his life.

_'No, no, no, no no! It can't end like this! What can I do?! I can't just freeze my shield, he'll just shatter me instead! I can't let this goddamned monster win against me, I... I...'_

Classic opened his eyes, the look in them unlike anything anyone had seen before. The world slowed around him as every sense he had began to dull. All reasoning, all limitations, all morals... Everything was overridden in that one instant, and only one thing ran through Classic's mind. **_Survive_** _._ ** _Survive at all cost._**

He returned to the shrill sound of pure agony. It took a second for Classic to realize what he'd done, and shame and horror washed over him like a tsunami. Legend howled and writhed against the scalding water that drenched him, seeped through his scales, and forced itself into his body through his now open maw, burning him from the inside out and from the outside in. He couldn't even form the coherency to vilely curse his counterpart for the suffering he now endured.

Hunter raced to the scene, fearing the worst, and both he and Sparx witnessed the deed that Classic had committed. Before either of his friends could say a word, Spyro frantically scrambled to teleport his friends away from the horror show, struggling to turn away from the sight of his twin being tortured at his own paws for the crime of being absolutely right. After what seemed an eternity, the spell was finally ready, and Classic fled into the neighboring woods with his friends in tow.

Dark Spyro gasped, coughing searing water out of his lungs as his body shook violently from the results of the last assault.

"Damn, I underestimated him," he muttered. He hadn't thought the flea had it in him to kill. But that last attempt... Oh, the kid had it in him alright, buried deep. Probably under mounds of societal conditioning and personal disgust.

Dark Spyro smirked, a new plan unfolding in an instant. He'd break that brat, either by killing him or forcing him to kill. Pausing, he found that the thought of dying at Classic's hand didn't irk him. Thinking on it further, he realized that he found Classic to be a worthy adversary...when he would actually fight and not run like a coward. He had seen it, a flash in his eyes even as they were quickly hidden by disgust. The eyes of a predator. The eyes of a true dragon.

This fight had a new purpose, to drag the true dragon out of that coward kicking and screaming if need be. It didn't matter if he ended up dead for it. He had walked onto a battlefield; he had already accepted his fate.

Dying by that dragon's claws would be acceptable. And if the dragon inside his counterpart truly didn't want to come out and play anymore... Well, he'd have fun carving that whelp into steaks.

Classic Spyro, Hunter and Sparx watched as Legend looked around the battlefield for them. Classic could barely form any words, staring at the burn marks under Legend's dark scales that he had caused. He sank to the ground, hiding behind the foliage as he buried his head into his paws.

"I'm...I'm a monster."

Sparx turned to his best friend, raising an eyebrow. "What? Spyro, you're not—"

"Yes I am, Sparx! This whole entire loop, all I've done to this guy is tease him, embarrass him, broken his stuff, and torn him away from his friends because I didn't want to put up with Ember hitting on me!" Classic said, beginning to curl up into a ball. "And now...now..." His voice began to crack. "I...I tried to _kill_ him! All this in the span of the few hours I've known this guy!"

Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. "This isn't like when I fought all those other beings on my adventures! They were just creatures created by magic, and the few that weren't I usually just knocked out, but this...!"

Sparx and Hunter just stood dumbfounded. They had _never_ seen their friend this distraught before, let alone actually _crying_. The duo looked at each other with faces curled in confusion as they tried to think of what to say.

"Spyro, listen... It's not like you had much of a choice. The guy was trying to kill you too. If you didn't do something, he would have succeeded," Hunter said, sitting down next to his friend.

"I can see why he was trying to kill me," Classic said coldly, unmoving. "After everything I did... I see why he hates me enough to attempt it, and after what I just attempted to do, it might be justified..."

Sparx's face was blank as he hovered down next to his broken down friend. He flew in front of Classic's face, staring the dragon straight in the eyes...and smacked him over the head. Classic grabbed his forehead and stared at his friend.

"Sparx? Wh-what was—?"

"Listen to me," Sparx said firmly, starring Spyro in the eyes. "I met you before you even hatched from your egg. Ever since you hatched, I've been with you on your adventures, hovering by your side no matter what. In all that time I've known you, I can safely say you are _not_ , and let me repeat that, _no_ _t_ a monster."

Classic was taken off guard by Sparx's sudden serious tone. He had never seen his friend acting this way before. "But...but I—"

"No buts." Sparx cut his friend off as he narrowed his eyes. "The only monster here is that psychopath out there for pushing you to that point. On top of that, unlike _him_ , you feel terrible for attempting such a thing, while that beast out there is almost _giddy_ every time he's come close so far."

Classic said nothing before he looked away from his friend. "...Even so, this whole mess is my fault in the first place. The whole reason this started was because I felt superior to my counterpart, and I just _had_ to let him know it."

Sparx wasn't giving up that easily. Classic needed to snap out of it, and _fast_. "I know that you're feeling like a jerk right now, and it's understandable. But, if you were only a jerk and nothing else, why do you think your friends stand by your side?"

Upon hearing these words, Classic raised his head a bit.

"Spyro, let me explain why I stand by you. You may be an ass sometimes, but you care when others have a problem that they can't solve themselves. Remember when Ripto tried to conquer Avalar? You may have been there by coincidence, but that didn't stop you from helping everyone. You could have forced the inhabitants to give you orbs and talismans, but instead you solved the issues that they had, whether Ripto caused them or not. In their gratitude, Avalar trusted you with their magical possessions, and Ripto didn't stand a chance after that. Hunter, help me out here, will ya?"

Hunter took a seat next to the young dragon, taking Sparx's cue. "Sparx is right, you know. The realms in Avalar were always yelling at each other before you came along. Now they remember you and realize that, if all of Avalar can trust a purple dragon to stop an evil dictator, they should be able to agree more often." Hunter wasn't kidding. He was sincerely thankful for Spyro's arrival in Avalar, and he needed to know it.

"See? There's no reason why you should let this dragon get the best of you. You're smart enough to do crazy stuff with magic and your elements, and you're tough enough to last this long against your psycho duplicate. Ever since our first base loop—you, me, Hunter, Elora—we all earned the right to be called heroes of the Dragon Realms, Avalar, and the Forgotten Realms. Don't let a stranger, especially _that_ monster sitting over there, tell you otherwise."

Classic was silent as he took in his friend's words, looking at them both blankly. Finally, a small smile began to appear on his face. "Sparx, Hunter, I know I don't say this often, but you guys are my best friends for too many reasons to count. This is just one of those reasons."

He rose to his paws and, while Sparx sat on his head, he slung his arm around Hunter as he gave him a noogie. It would have been an awesome moment to cherish between the trio...if Classic didn't notice a certain pair of dragons heading their way. Classic's eyes went wide as he saw Ember and Cynder running towards the battlefield that was once a park. _'Are you freakin' kidding me?!'_

"Guys! I'm sorry, but I need to take care of something ASAP!" Classic said, teleporting away before Hunter or Sparx could say anything.

* * *

Cynder could see the lava lake getting closer, the intense heat causing her to sweat. Despite being concerned for the wellbeing of one of the Spyros, Ember began to slow down as she saw the war torn battlefield. Gulping as bit her lip, she looked over to Cynder.

"Um, Cynder. I have bad feeling about this..."

"So do I," Cynder said, looking back towards Ember. "There's still time for you to turn back, you know. I should be able to handle things by myself."

"Um, well, I..."

Before Ember could finish her reply, a flash of polygons caught both dragonesses off guard. Before Cynder could realize what was going on, a purple dragon with three large scars across his chest appeared in front of them, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you two doing here!?" Classic demanded, stepping forward. Before either of the dragonesses could start talking, Classic was already working on his teleport spell.

Having been around her Spyro for who knows how many loops now, Cynder could tell that the dragon in front of her wasn't him. "What are _you_ doing here? And what the heck is going on!?" Cynder demanded, stepping forwards as she narrowed her eyes.

"I'll tell you in a second! It's too dangerous right now!" Classic said as he began to glow.

Before either dragoness could say anything, the group was teleported back to where Hunter and Sparx were hiding. Though slightly disoriented from the teleport, Cynder quickly shook it off. She narrowed her eyes and got in front of Classic's face with a scowl. Classic nearly tumbled backwards in the process.

"Alright, you have five seconds to tell me what's—"

" _Gah!_ " Ember exclaimed, eyes wide as she saw the state Classic was in. "Spyro! What happened to— _mphf!_ "

Before Ember could finish her concerned outburst, Hunter jumped forward and put his paw over her mouth.

" _Quiet!_ _You want to get us all killed!?_ _"_ Hunter said in a forceful whisper.

" _Killed by what!?_ _"_ Cynder hissed, starting to growl at being locked out of the loop.

Classic narrowed his eyes before sighing in defeat. "Why don't you look for yourself?"

Cynder narrowed her eyes before she turned and poked her head out of the bush they were hiding behind. When she saw the dark dragon looking over the battlefield, her eyes went wide. "Spy _—gah!"_

Cynder was interrupted when she attempted to jump out and rush to her mate as she was grabbed by the tail and pulled back into the bush.

Legend paused for a second, his face going blank. _'Cynder...?'_ He grabbed his head, shaking the thought off as his dark form refused to let him go.

Back in the bush, Cynder yanked her tail from Classic's mouth and had to resist the urge to smack him with it. She narrowed her eyes at the trio, her mouth curled in a scowl.

"What did you idiots do?" she demanded, her voice icy cold.

The entire group sans Ember flinched, but before anyone could say anything, Classic quickly stepped forward, his head hung low.

"Wait, it's not their fault..." Classic said, glancing away from the very angry dragoness. "I...I got in a fight with the other me. I was acting like a jerk to him the entire day, and then when he finally got fed up, I got cocky and challenged him to a battle. I continued to poke and prod him throughout the entire thing, and then when I used my magic to disguise myself as an egg to get in a cheap shot, he... Well, I think you can see what happened."

Classic looked back at Cynder and lowered his head. "I didn't mean for it to get _this_ out of hand, though. All I want now is to stop him, bring him back to normal... But after everything I've done to him in the short span of this loop..."

Cynder growled, but as she looked at the incredibly guilty expression on Classic's face, she began to soften hers. Even if it wasn't her Spyro, he still looked almost identical to him, and seeing him this distressed worried her greatly. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she looked at Classic with an indifferent expression. "How long has he been like this?"

Classic looked to the side. "Uh... I'm not sure. I wasn't really paying attention to the time while I was struggling to stay alive against him."

Cynder closed her eyes before looking back to the dark dragon flying around the battlefield. She put her paw in front of her mouth. Though she didn't know the exact amount of time, she knew this was the longest Spyro had spent in his dark state. She had no idea what that had done to his mental state, but nonetheless knew she at least had to try to bring him back.

"I think I can bring him out of his dark state," Cynder said, looking back at the group. "I've done it a few times before in our baseline."

"How can you be sure? What if you can't?" Classic said, raising his head. "You'll be putting yourself in danger."

Cynder shook her head, eyes closed as she let out a sigh. "Don't worry. Even if I can't bring him out of it, I don't think he'll even consider attacking me." She looked at Classic. "...And even if he does, I'll be able to defend myself. I've been by his side for a good portion of his adventures, even in the baseline, so I'm almost on par with him when it comes to fighting."

Classic stared at Cynder, contemplating the risk. This was all his fault, so he didn't want anyone getting hurt because of this. However, at the same time, he knew he had no chance of calming his counterpart down. Cynder said she had managed to pull him out of this before, but even though she assured him she could take care of herself, if things went horribly wrong...

He narrowed his eyes, looking back towards Hunter. "Hunter, keep an eye on Ember."

"Wai—what?" Hunter said, jumping slightly from the serious tone in Spyro's voice. "You're not seriously going in there without me!?"

"I don't want you getting hurt because of what I've done. He's already attempted to kill you once. Besides, someone has to make sure Ember doesn't get herself in trouble." Spyro rolled his eyes when he saw Ember's expression light up at the sound of him being concerned for her. Shaking his head, he looked Hunter straight in the eyes. "Please, Hunter."

Hunter was a bit surprised by the uncharacteristically serious look in Spyro's eyes. Though he didn't like it, he eventually shook his head. "Alright. Just make sure you don't end up getting yourself killed, alright?"

Classic nodded before turning towards Cynder. "You sure about this?"

"Very," Cynder replied, staring him straight in the eyes.

With a nod, Classic began to run his teleportation spell again.

"Um..."

Classic turned to Ember, his expression indifferent as she stared at them both with a concerned look. "Please be careful... both of you."

Classic nodded, giving a smirk. Cynder was a bit surprised, but, nevertheless, gave a warm smile. Not a second later, the two dragons disappeared in a flurry of polygons.

Back on the battlefield, Legend looked around with annoyance. If it weren't for the fact that this annoying little brat had piqued his interest, he would have likely turned the surrounding area into a crater by now. It was then he felt a presence behind him, sensing the energy that was being used to teleport. Legend could tell exactly who that was, but what he hadn't expected was the dragon that had teleported with him.

"Spyro!"

Legend froze, face going blank as he spun around. Sure enough, he was met with familiar black scales. His eyes widened with surprised and only one word escaped his lips. "Cynder..."

"Spyro, please!" Cynder said, stepping forward cautiously. "You need to stop this!"

Legend stood blankly, staring at the pleading black dragoness. "I-I..."

Legend shook his head before looking back at the duo, his expression caught between a variety of emotions. "How... I'm sorry, Cynder, but...how can I be sure it's you? This _magician_ here has already tricked me several times today with his illusions. How can I be sure that this isn't some other trick he has up his sleeves?"

Cynder was taken aback by Legend's words. She frowned, eyes wide as she looked at her mate. "Spyro...it's me. How could you think I'm just an illusion?"

Legend frowned, closing his eyes tightly as he grabbed his head. For a second, Cynder saw a flash of purple scales through the darkness. She took another step forward. She knew that, despite how long he had been in this form, her Spyro was still in there somewhere, and that right now he needed her more than ever. Despite being a bit miffed over Legend's scepticism, she wasn't going to back down now.

Legend managed to open his eyes again, glancing at the approaching dragoness. To this, he took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry, Cynder, but...I just can't trust anything right now, especially with that magician behind you," Legend said, shooting a sharp glare towards Classic. "He's done nothing but mess with me all day, and not a few seconds ago he attempted to kill me."

"What!?"

Classic flinched at this, and Cynder looked back at him with a sharp glare. Before he could say anything to defend himself, Legend spoke up again.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm actually kind of happy he did," Legend said in an unnervingly enthusiastic voice, an unfitting smile on his dark face. "I thought this brat was just some kid, a poor excuse for what was supposed to be myself from another world. And yet, at the same time, what he attempted to do has filled me with hope. Hope that there may be a true dragon under that soft exterior, after all."

Cynder's eyes went wide as she looked at Legend. She had seen him in his dark state before, but never had he said something like that. They were no strangers to killing, having to do so just to survive the war in their world. Yet, to hear her mate proclaim such a thing so nonchalantly...

Cynder shook her head. She knew she needed to get Legend out of his dark form quickly before it had a permanent effect on his mental state.

"Spyro, please! It's really me!" Cynder said, taking another step forward with pleading eyes. "Isn't there any way I can prove that I'm not just some sort of illusion?"

Legend looked on blankly for a few seconds before it finally hit him. Even if Classic had figured out that Cynder was of some importance to him, he had been with him all day. As such, even if he remembered what she looked like from back at the apartment, there was no way he could know what abilities she possessed.

He smiled and leaped back, calling to the lava to surround him. As he did, he replied, "Come inside. It shouldn't be more difficult than one of those purple gates. I'll talk only once you're inside."

The magma formed a near sphere intersected by the ground, with a small opening just too small to wiggle or force through. Lava surrounded it, making the option of digging non-applicable.

Cynder looked at the sphere with an indifferent expression. She realized what he wanted her to do. Looking back, she saw Classic looking at her in confusion, and she knew Ember was likely watching the battle from the bushes. She shook her head. As much as she would rather these people not find out about her past, saving Legend from his dark form was far, _far_ more important to her. Without saying a word, she disappeared into her shadow, causing Classic to jump as said shadow quickly slipped through the magma sphere.

Legend watched in dawning happiness as the shadow slipped through and Cynder pulled herself out. It really was her! However, he held his jubilation back as he noticed her take him in with reserve. He was no fool as to why. They both hated to see the other like this, but it wouldn't be for much longer. He just needed to push his other just a bit more...and then he could be satisfied with the outcome, whatever it might be.

"Spyro," Cynder began, "what happened?"

Legend paused, not to determine what to leave out, but to figure out how to make it concise. "Well, after he dragged me out to the park, to get away from Ember, I snapped at him, he retorted, things got heated, and we both began preparing for a fight. I had thought him nothing more than an annoying brat who didn't understand the way the world worked; he thought me a complete stick in the mud who tried too hard to impress self-imposed laws onto others."

"He got right up into my face and all but challenged me to a fight. I asked if we should back up. He challenged me while standing his ground. I head-butted him. He backed up and we got to fighting. He kept the advantage by staying out of my preferred range, no matter what I seemed to do, annoying me the entire time, but I used the Earth Arena Trap and got some well-deserved payback. He broke out with some sort of trick from his Subspace, and started firing things at me. I used the Gold Armor and started to use my higher elemental powers, but the slippery whelp was still really hard to hit, so I used Dragon Time. Somehow he copied it. Ihy made us both stop using it."

And then...he used an egg against me. His magic made him look like an egg, and I fell for it. And when he broke the spell and the egg shattered...I just... I kept remembering _that_ Loop...how, even with foreknowledge of the attack, I couldn't make a difference..."

Here, Dark Spyro's began to raise his voice as he got more emotional. "But it wasn't just that! He had been treating the whole thing like it was a game! Like he didn't understand the power he was using and just what might could happen if he ever lost control! He just kept that cocky grin and acted like he was the best thing since the First Dragons discovered the elements!" Then his countenance morphed into a feral grin. "But when I saw the look in his eyes...both of them—he knows he can kill, he knows what he's capable of.

"He's just like us. He just hides it well."

"Then do you want to continue?!" Cynder asked incredulously.

Legend paused as if actually thinking on it for the first time.

"I don't know," he replied finally. "Until you asked, I thought I did. I thought I wanted to see what he was like when he was actually serious for once in his life. When he actually admitted he knew what stepping onto a battlefield means...but now, what would that accomplish? He's already shown himself to be far more than what I originally thought him to be. ...Maybe, a part of me just wanted to die, to see if that would actually end the Loops."

"You know it won't work like that," Cynder replied.

"Intellectually, yes," Legend agreed. "And I would never allow myself to die in our world and allow Malefor to win. But here, with another Purple to 'guide the fate of the era?' Another who does understand the burden and who has not yet buckled... I think part of my heart wanted to see the value of the other Loopers' words."

Here, Cynder became mad. "And what of me?! Was I just supposed to pretend that you were of no importance?! That I would just move on as if nothing had ever happened?! As if we were nothing?!"

"You would have finally been able to move on," Legend replied mournfully. "Never to reawaken as that beast, that slave to the apes. You could finally be happy. That small, selfish part of my heart seemed to think my life a fair enough trade for that."

Cynder couldn't take it anymore. She slapped him as hard as she could across the head with her tail. "Idiot!"

Then she pulled him close. "It's when I'm with you that I'm happiest. So long as we are together, nothing is too much a burden."

"Cynder..."

Cynder gave a warm smile before putting her wings and forelegs around Dark Spyro. The dark dragon froze for a few seconds, his face blank. Finally, he closed his eyes before putting his forelegs gently around Cynder. Dark Spyro took a deep breath, and his dark scales began to fade away.

* * *

Classic looked up at the sphere of magma, eyes wide as seconds passed. His mind raced with what could possibly be going on in there. All he could hear was the buzzing of Sparx's wings. Classic shook his head.

 _'Why is this taking so long? What's going on in there?'_ he thought as he looked back up at the sphere. That wasn't the only thing that was bugging him, though.

_"I thought this brat was just some kid, a poor excuse for what was supposed to be myself from another world. And yet, at the same time, what he attempted to do has filled me with hope. Hope that there may be a true dragon under that soft exterior, after all."_

A true dragon... _'The heck did he mean by that?'_

"Spyro?" Sparx asked, looking down towards his friend.

Classic shook his head. He knew _something_ was going on in there. They were likely talking about him, and he was going to find out what. Reaching into his Subspace, he pulled out a golden orb. When Sparx saw this, his eyes went wide.

"Spyro!? What are you doing!?"

Without saying a word, Classic took to the air and flew as close as he could to the magma sphere without burning himself. It was hard to hear them over the boiling lava, but he was determined nonetheless. Sparx floated next to him, narrowing his eyes.

"Spyro, I don't think this is such a goo—"

Sparx was silenced when Classic hushed him, motioning for the dragonfly to land on his head so he could hear better. As Sparx reluctantly did so, he began to hear the two dragons talking.

_"But when I saw the look in his eyes...both of them—he knows he can kill, he knows what he's capable of. He's just like us... He just hides it well."_

Classic cringed, the memory of what he had almost done still fresh in his mind. _'Just like them... The heck...?'_

Before Classic could complete his thoughts, the ground below began to sizzle. The molten streams of magma began to cool, turning into smooth obsidian and giving more of a foothold once again. Not a second later, Classic saw that the sphere was starting to sink back into the ground. Realizing this, Classic quickly flew back to where he had been standing originally.

As the sphere touched down, the magma started to flow back into the earth, cooling into obsidian as it touched the ground. Standing where it had once been, Cynder held Legend close to her, his purple scales once again visible. Classic blinked for a few seconds, his face blank as he watched the scene.

Legend pulled his head up, looking at the chaos he had caused. All around him, the once peaceful looking park had now devolved into what appeared to be something more akin to the Burned Lands. He frowned, lowering his head. It was only then he noticed his counterpart standing a ways away, extremely battered and bruised, with massive scars sprawled across his chest. He tried to look away, but the thought of how badly he had lost it refused his hope of blotting it out.

Not a second later, he saw Ember and Hunter push their way out of the bushes, moving cautiously towards him. Legend cringed, knowing they had witnessed him making a complete monster out of himself.

He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to just blot it out. Finally, he felt Cynder let him go. Cynder... He could only imagine what she thought of him after that display. Finally, Legend couldn't take it anymore. Opening his eyes, he darted off as fast as his paws could carry him.

"Wha— _Spyro!_ " Cynder said, quickly getting to her paws to chase after him.

Classic watched the two dragons dart off with an indifferent expression. It was only after the two were almost out of sight that Classic finally realized just _how much pain_ he was really in. He cringed, nearly falling onto the ground as he struggled to keep his paws.

 _'Jeez, I guess that shield was more so a glorified painkiller than anything else,'_ he thought, having a hard time just staying upright.

"Spyro?"

"Yeah, Sparx?" Classic said, having to force out his words through his pain.

He noticed as Sparx gestured to either side of him. Classic looked, only now noticing his friend and number one fangirl were by his side. Classic said nothing, far too tired to even flinch at the sight of her. Ember looked at Classic with wide eyes and a soft frown.

"Spyro... You're going to be okay, right?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.

Seeing the obvious concern written all over her face, Classic managed to force a cocky grin. "I just need some rest is all. Don't worry about me, I've been through worse be- _fore_!" Classic said, trying his best to downplay his injuries, but a jolt of pain betrayed his attempt as it caused him to flinch.

"Ah, Spyro!" Ember said, quick to help her idol keep his balance. "Spyro, are you sure? Those gashes—"

"I can take care of it, alright?" Classic said, looking at Ember out of the corner of his eye. He flinched when he saw her back up and avert her eyes. Admittedly, thanks to the pain he was in, his words had come out a lot colder than he had intended.

Hunter shook his head, kneeling down to Spyro's level. "Do you need help getting home?"

Spyro shook his head. "I can teleport home," he said flatly.

Noticing the concerned look Hunter was giving him, he lowered his head. He didn't mean to brush their concern off. It was just that, right now, all he wanted was to return to his loop home and sleep the rest of the day away.

It was only then that Classic noticed something shimmering not far off—a golden chest plate, somehow undamaged despite the chaos that had just occurred. Classic lowered his head, remembering the damage he had done to the enchantments on it. There was likely no way he could make up for pushing his counterpart so far, but maybe...

"Actually, if you two want to help me," Classic said, using his telekinesis to pull the chest plate over to him. "I need help finding these pieces of armor scattered around here. I need them for something."

Putting the chest plate into his Subspace, he noticed the confused glances the others gave each other. Nonetheless, they quickly nodded their heads and began to comb the battlefield. Classic could barely move as he looked around, the pain from the trio of scars making him flinch every time he took a step. He tried to push it to the back of his mind as he looked for the pieces of armor, but even then the multiple bruises, scars and burns made it an uphill battle.

Noticing his best bud wincing every time he took a step, Sparx was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could, Hunter and Ember had returned with his requested items.

Putting the items in his Subspace, Classic managed to force a smile. "Thanks guys, you're the best. I think I can figure things out from here. Be careful heading back, alright?"

The group smiled, nodding as they began to part ways. Classic was about to as well, but he paused when he noticed Ember. He kept his eyes on her as she walked away. _'All this started because I used my counterpart as an excuse to blow her off...for the thousandth time in a row.'_ He lowered his head. _'Come to think of it, just how many loops has she been through alone because I went out of my way to avoid her when I found out she was looping? I was never alone thanks to Sparx always looping with me, but...'_

"...Ember, wait!"

Sparx jumped in surprised when he heard Spyro call out his fangirl's name. He glanced down at his friend, eyes wide. _'Spyro must have taken more of a beating than I thought...'_

Classic watched as Ember jumped at the sound of him calling her name. He was actually rather surprised when she turned around with a genuine look of surprise on her face, an action which caused him to flinch. "Yeah, Spyro...?"

The purple dragon sighed deeply, fighting every instinct that was telling him to keep his mouth shut and run for the hills. Despite how much he disliked affection, he wasn't going to blow Ember off this time.

"Ember... I'm sorry I went so long without telling you I was looping too," Classic said, hobbling closer to his fangirl despite what the back of his mind was screaming. "I'm lucky to have you as a looper. I know you care a lot about me, and if I had just accepted it, then this whole thing wouldn't have happened. I'm... I'm sorry."

Ember stared blankly at her idol for several seconds. In truth, multiple things were running through her mind at the moment. Some screaming 'yes' at the top of their lungs, some that wanted her to tackle the object of her affections in a hug...and yet, there was something at the back of her mind, something that was nagging her above all else. A realization that finally had hit her over all these loops. Finally, surprisingly, the pink dragoness just gave a soft smile.

"...You know, Cynder told me something, about you and I. She hadn't meant to say it so bluntly, but in a way, I'm glad she did," Ember said, lowering her head. "Spyro... All this is just as much my fault as it is yours. I've been pushing too hard to have a relationship with you, despite how uncomfortable it was making you..." Ember raised her head, her eyelids drooping.

"Spyro... I still have feelings for you, and I doubt they'll ever go away any time soon," Ember said, shaking her head. "But...I don't want to force you into this just because I feel this way. For now, until you decide if you'd ever even consider it...is it alright if we were just friends?"

Classic paused, his face blank. Several seconds passed before a soft smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah. I'd like that. It'd be easier for both of us, I'm sure of that."

Both dragons shared a short-lived giggle before Ember gave Classic one last look. With a soft smile, she turned away and began to head back to her loop home. Classic looked on for few seconds with a smile before he turned to Sparx. The dragonfly had a completely dumbfounded look on his face.

"Tell me, Spyro. At _any_ point in that battle, did I get hit on the head?"

Classic busted up laughing, though he quickly stopped because of the pain it caused him thanks to his wounds. Classic shook his head before looking at Sparx.

"Nah, Sparx. That really just happened," Classic said, sitting down. "I can hardly believe it myself. I guess...I guess I needed to address that at some point, and seeing how not doing so before caused things to spiral into what happened here... I dunno, maybe I'm just a bit out of it right now after the beating I took."

Sparx chuckled before looking at his friend with a smile. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had been with his friend since birth and always liked to think that, of their pair, he had a more level head. Yet, seeing Spyro finally starting to take some form of responsibility, he couldn't help but grin. It went to show that, despite their bodies not aging thanks to the loops, they were still growing in one way or another.

"So, then. Want me to follow you home for the night to make sure you're okay?" Sparx asked, floating down in front of Classic.

Classic shook his head. "Nah, I already told you, I'm fine. Besides, didn't you mention how you have your own family this loop? They're probably wondering where you and your counterpart are right now."

"Yeah, yeah," Sparx said, though he placed his hand to his chin as he looked up to the sky. "Ya know, now that you mention it, what _has_ my wimpy counterpart been doing while all this madness was going on...?"

* * *

"C'mon! You obviously got this! Solve the darn puzzle!" Legend Sparx yelled. He may not have known much about the technology-thingies of this world, but so far he had found one thing he liked. How he had gone this long without discovering the wonders of television, he would never know. "No! Don't be greedy by spinning! You idiot!"

Ihy groaned, taking a sip of his beer. He was beginning to wonder what was worse: returning to go back to work on Yggdrasil, or staying here and listening to Legend Sparx yammer on at the TV. _'I regret ever turning the TV on in the first place!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. The end of Classic and Legends battle. This chapter is a bit longer than the usual, hence why it took a while to upload, but considering it was the climax to this battle, it's understandable.
> 
> Riv told me that Dark Spyro seemed a bit too reasonable in this chapter, saying that she viewed Dark Spyro as rather feral when it came to his mentality. She did tell me that it was mostly just alternate character interpretation though, and consider Ukelele, AbZ, and I didn't seem it too amiss while writing this, hopefully you didn't think it was too OOC either. Plus, there was the fact that had Dark Spyro been more feral, things likely wouldn't have gone as well for the Classic group as they -relatively- did, nor could we have gotten some interesting plot points for later chapters. As such, I hope you forgive this bit of character interpretation if you found it a bit odd.
> 
> Anyways, this is by no means the end of the current arc. We still have a bit of shenanigans planned with character interactions, and an interesting way to end off this arc. For those of you who are missing the usual looper shenanigans the Infinite Loops are known for, I'm considering uploading some 'filler' chapters in the meantime that fall more in line with the earlier chapters and the shenanigans that happened in them. My main worry is that I might end up spoiling stuff from the current arc though so... I don't know. Leave me a review stating if you would like some filler looper shenanigans, or if you'd prefer us to continue with the current arc as is with no fillers.
> 
> Anyways, how will things go after the fight? Will the two Spyro's be able to reconcile? How will their in loop parents react to their injuries? And exactly why is Legend Spyro so uptight about looper shenanigans? Find out soon!


	11. Reconciliation (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments blah blah you know the drill by this point.

**(Fused loop 1.1 continued)**

**(Feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

The sky was a radiant shade of orange as Classic teleported back in front of his house. The rather modest building was sandwiched between two larger buildings that contained a collection of shops and corporate offices, which resided in the higher floors. Classic took a deep breath before he huddled towards his house. With the key he was given before he left, he unlocked the door and headed inside. He paid no attention to his surroundings as he walked through the living room, making a beeline for his room.

 _'So tired... Feel like I can sleep for a week...'_ he thought to himself as he forced his aching body along.

"You had a good time out there? Obviously you did. You're filthy, and you decided to stay out after dark."

Classic jumped slightly from the voice, turning his head to see a blue dragon sitting in a chair not far off, her face torn between anger and worry.

 _'CRAP!'_ Classic thought, eyes going wide. _'I forgot!'_

Classic gulped, his mind telling him to quickly set up a teleportation spell and head for the hills. However, once his eyes met his loop mother's, all semblance of conspiracy and rebellion ceased, replaced with fear, compliance and respect.

"Well, then. Mind telling your dear, old, worried-sick mother what you were up to all this time?" Nina asked, narrowing her eyes.

Classic quickly averted his eyes, biting his lip. Obviously there was no way in heck he was going to tell her about the deathmatch he and his twin had gotten into, so he needed to come up with a reasonable alibi, and _fast_.

"I was, well, out at the skate park and I messed up a trick. Real badly," Classic lied through his teeth, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

Nina's expression was unchanging. She could see the obvious nervous ticks on her son and wasn't buying his story for a second. "Uh-huh. And where exactly was your brother in all of that?"

 _'Crap!'_ Classic thought, glancing down. "I, uh... I...don't know..."

Nina sighed. "What did I say about sticking together last week? We've been over this and now it's even more important. There are criminals around and, just earlier, I heard on the news that something happened at the park," Nina said, jabbing her claw at the television behind her. "What if your brother was there? What would have happened then?"

 _'He would have tried to kill me._ Twice _,_ _'_ Classic deadpanned in his head.

Nina's expression quickly shifted more towards worry as she eyed her son, the dim lights in the room making it a bit hard to see. "You really don't know where your brother is?"

Classic shook his head. Nina quickly got out of her chair not a second later.

"I'm calling his friend. Cynder, wasn't it? She's pretty close; she might have an idea where he is," Nina said before looking back towards her son with a stern expression. "In the meantime, you stay _right there_. I'm not done with you."

Classic watched as Nina hurried over to a phone. Just when she was out of earshot, Classic let out a sigh. He hated having parents during a loop...

* * *

Legend continued to hobble semi-aimlessly, his mind forced to replay those terrible events again and again. He had almost killed on no less than three separate occasions and had only had his will defied by chance! While he might have previously been angry with his counterpart, nothing that the other dragon had done had merited death. Nor had anything merited his attack on Hunter, whose worst offence could be summed up as defending a friend.

He constantly winced as he continued to force his battered body beyond its limits. It was nothing short of a miracle that no one had been killed, and that the only two who were truly seriously injured were the instigating parties. His very bones creaked and his legs continued to shake, protesting the continued abuse; if he continued for much longer, he would break at least one bone, or more than likely more. It was always painful having to reset such injuries, though his 'profession' meant that he was more than familiar with battlefield medicine. Now where was a ditch to lie in for the night?

"Spyro!"

He turned his head, staggering slightly, to see Cynder running towards him with Ember following tentatively behind. Spyro turned back the way he was heading and tried to continue on. However, he immediately fell to the pavement as his abused body refused to put up with this for one more minute.

"Spyro!" Cynder yelled again, seeing him go down. "Why do you keep running away from me?" she asked as she came up to him.

"Why would you want to be around me after what I just did?" Legend replied remorsefully.

"Do I really have to answer that?" Cynder replied, nuzzling him slightly.

Ember watched, shocked at how...comfortable they both were in the other's presence.

"Hey! What are you kids doing here?" a loud call came from across the block. They turned to see an adult dragon in a police uniform coming toward them.

There was a brief moment of panic and each of the three contemplated fleeing, but Legend's body still refused to move. Cynder, noticing this, held her ground. Whatever else happened today, they would face it together. Ember actually raised a foot before noticing that neither Cynder nor Legend were moving.

Inside her head, she had a mental war trying to figure out what to do. On one hand, she really didn't want to get caught if they were going to be accused for having something to do with the remodeling of the park. But she didn't want to leave Cynder, either. Though, Cynder had done that freaky thing with her shadow and Ember wasn't sure how, and she had been told that if Cynder had an element it would be Wind... And Cynder was just so reluctant to tell her anything! It was just so frustrating!

But what Cynder had told her had actually gotten her Spyro willing to talk to her... And then she thought about the wounds that her Spyro had endured, the ones on this Spyro, her Spyro saying that it was his fault, and the fact that she had just hidden in the bushes while Cynder and her Spyro had risked their lives to stop the chaos. She was tired of being useless.

"Officer!" she called back. "Hurry, please! Our friend is hurt and we can't carry him home!"

At that, the adult dragon picked up his pace, closing the distance and finally getting a good look at Legend. The purple dragon's eyes were slightly unfocused, he was collapsed on the ground, and he had multiple visible injuries peppered across his body, but even like that he gave off an aura of determination. The police dragon wouldn't have been surprised if he had a concussion, though thankfully it looked to be minor. It was amazing that he was still conscious!

Briefly, he entertained the thought that these kids might have been involved with the scene at the park, but quickly dismissed that thought. They were far too young to wield that kind of power. Heck, he couldn't think of one dragon not out of ancient folktales that could to be comparable to that level of power. No, it would be far more likely that it was a large scale operation by a major crime syndicate.

"Which of your houses is closer?" the officer asked sharply.

"Ours is," Ember replied automatically.

The adult dragon nodded. "Okay, help me get him onto my back. I'll escort you home."

Nodding, Ember and Cynder did their best to gently lift Legend onto the police dragon's back.

* * *

Classic sighed and looked over to Nina, who was currently talking on the phone. He hadn't found the courage just to teleport away. He didn't exactly know why he couldn't find the courage to do so, especially considering it wouldn't matter after the loop ended. Maybe it was because of how things worked in this loop. There were times when it felt like some sort of outside force was poking at the back of his mind during certain loops. Classic shook his head, flinching a bit from the pain as he did so.

"Edna, how are you? ... Yes, yes, you too. ... Actually, I wanted to talk to your daughter, Cynder. ... Yeah, something came up with my sons, and I need to know where Spyro is. ... No, I'm talking about the one who comes over to your house and plays with Cynder, not the one who goes skateboarding. ... Oh? ... Oh... OK, alright, call me if he shows up. Thank you."

Nina hung up and returned her focus on her son, who winced at whatever she had planned. At this, she sighed. _'It's just so difficult to stay mad at him. He's too sensitive, and it doesn't help that he's the most immature of my sons.'_

With that, her expression softened as she approached him. "Okay, honey, let's see the damage."

"Wha-?"

As Classic's loop mother closed in, he froze in panic. _'What do I do, I can't run away, but what about my twin, and WHA—?!'_

He was interrupted from his internal rambling as he was carefully raised in the air.

Nina narrowed her eyes to inspect her son's injuries. What she didn't expect, however, was the sheer severity of said injuries. Once she laid eyes on the caked, oozing scars that ran across her son's chest, her eyes went wide before they met his. Classic paused before he gave a sheepish grin. Several seconds passed in silence.

_'...Wow, she's taking this better than I thought.'_

Not a second later, a shrill scream of horror shook the surrounding area, managing to set off a few alarms with its pitch and force. Classic winced. He didn't know what to expect next, but he had hunch that, whatever it was, he knew that he wouldn't be winning any awards for "Son of the Year."

* * *

To say the awkwardness in the room was thick would be an understatement. Legends laid on the floor, daring not to move lest he aggravate any of his wounds. Cynder sat next to him, a concerned look on her face. That was, by no means, what made it awkward, though, not by a long shot.

"Sir, I can assure you, these _children_ are in no way associated with any major crime rings," Ember's mother said to the officer.

"...Very well, ma'am," the officer said. "Have a good evening."

Ember watched as the police officer began to walk off, but she noticed that, just before her mother closed the door, the police officer took one last look at them. Ember shivered, but was quickly knocked back to reality when she noticed her mother looking down at her.

"Well, then," her mother said, giving a gentle yet firm look towards her daughter. "Mind explaining to me what happened?"

Ember averted her eyes, backing up slightly as she did. "Um...well... You see..."

Ember gulped, looking up at her mother. _'What am I supposed to do!? I can't tell her the dragon currently in the living room is partially responsible for what happened at the park! I can't lie, though... I'm terrible at lying...'_

"We were nearby the park today," Cynder said, causing both Legend and Ember to look at her with wide eyes.

Their loop mother jumped with surprised when Cynder said that. "Oh my gosh! You three were near all that chaos today!? Are you alright!?"

"Most of us," Cynder replied, motioning towards Legend. Looking back to her loop mother, she managed to keep an unchanging expression. "We...we really didn't get to see what was causing all that, but we did end up getting a bit too close. There was flowing lava everywhere, as well as tons of giant pillars. While we were trying to get away, one of them collapsed on us." Cynder turned back to Legend. "Spyro managed to push us out of the way of it in time, but...I think you can see the results."

Their loop mother listened on in wide-eyed horror. "Oh dear! At least he's still alive." She narrowed her eyes. "Wait...why does he have burn marks, then, while you two don't?"

"The lava was funneling after us," Cynder continued to lie through her teeth, managing to flow with the contradictions to her story without letting on that she was making it up. "Luckily, the debris from the pillar managed to keep it from hitting him, but it was close enough that the heat from it alone was enough to leave burn marks. I managed to fly in and get him out of there before it could burn me, after which we got out of there as fast as we could."

Ember listened in disbelief at how effortlessly Cynder had crafted that story on the spot. She turned to her mother, who, despite having a look of apprehension on her face, was more relieved than anything else.

"Is this true?" she asked, turning to Legend.

"Yeah," he managed to force out, looking up at Ember's mother. "It all happened so fast that we didn't realize what was going on until it was too late."

Ember looked on blankly as Legend spoke—how he effortlessly managed to catch on without skipping a beat. She look up to her mother, whose eyes were closed as she breathed a sigh.

"Well, the important thing is you're both alive," she said, giving a smile. "I'll call Nina. She'll probably want you to come home as quick as possible."

"Um, if it's alright with you, I'd rather spend the night here..." Legend said, lowering his head. "It'd be easier to list everything on me that _doesn't_ hurt right now, so I don't really want to move if I don't have to..."

"I'm sorry, Spyro. But your mother's worried sick about you. She called earlier asking about you, and with you like this right now, she'll probably want to get you to a doctor as quick as possible."

Spyro lowered his head in defeat as he watched Ember's mom walk away towards a phone. Cynder looked at him, not being fooled for a second. She could tell the real reason he didn't want to return was because he didn't want to face his counterpart again after what he'd done. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her mate softly. Legend managed to force a small smile, though it was quickly wiped off by a sharp, shooting pain.

Ember looked at the duo in silence. There was so much more going on here that they weren't telling her; after how effortlessly they'd managed to craft that lie, she was sure of it. Cynder seemed especially dodgy about questions aimed at her, or the specific details of what her world was like. Ember didn't know why it irked her as much as it did, but...

Ember shook her head, turning away from the duo as she tried to push it to the back of her mind. It was their right to not go into what their world was like if they didn't want to, and it wasn't right to pry if they didn't want her to know... No matter how much it bugged her. She glanced back towards the duo, her expression unchanging. Hopefully, in time, they would begin to open up...

* * *

Classic winced as rubbing alcohol was applied to his wounds, the scent of disinfectant plaguing the air and gauze littering the floor. Nina hovered over her son and mumbled as she tried to perform something resembling first-aid.

"Unbelievable... How could this happen from a skating accident? Were you wearing a helmet?"

Classic didn't respond. Not because he was worried he'd say something snarky like 'somehow, I doubt a helmet would have helped much', but because he simply _couldn't_ from inside his new cocoon of cotton. Honestly, answering wouldn't have helped at all, anyway, so he kept his mouth shut as Nina continued to spray stinging alcohol at his cuts.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me, I'll have to set up an appointment. I'm not a doctor, so we can't be too careful..."

At this, his eyes widened. _'If a professional diagnoses me, Mom won't believe my skateboard alibi at all. I have to figure out something...'_

Classic raced through his fatigued brain, trying to concoct another plan. That is, until he realized that he'd actually thought of Nina as 'Mom.' Attempting to digest this development proved fatal to his thought process, so he just lay in a shocked trance until his mother's medical procedure was interrupted by another series of rings from the telephone. She dropped the cloth and spray bottle from her claws, eager to answer.

"Oh! Maybe it's your brother! Don't move a muscle!" Nina said, racing to the line. Nina grasped the earpiece and gasped out a greeting.

"Hello?! ... Edna! Did you find... YOU DID?! That's wonderfu—! ... No, oh no... Oh, my poor babies! ... Yes, my son is at home too... THE POLICE?! ... Oh, thank goodness. ... No, I'll call Flash, thank you for the offer, though. ... I know, I wish I knew too... Bye." Nina aimed a tear-streaked glare at her bandaged child. Her unintentional prediction had come true and she was livid.

"SEE?! See what happens when you two split up?! Your brother got burned by the lava in the park, just like I said! Maybe next time you'll both listen when I say 'stick together!'"

Classic was finally snapped out of his reverie and was also pushed a few inches back from the force of his mother's tirade. On the inside, he felt horrible for what he and his brother had put this caring dragoness through. Even though she wasn't his mother in the base loop, Classic felt like he'd known her all his life... In fact, he could vaguely recall the last time he had actually fallen off his skateboard and how his mother overreacted then. He sighed. He couldn't stand to see his mother like this.

Classic quickly shook his head. _'Woah, wha—? That was weird...'_

How could he recall events he had never experienced before? Part of him wanted to check the back of his mind for any more false memories like that, but he knew now was not the time.

"I'm calling your father to pick your brother up. Then, the appointment. In the meantime, you can think about how much you worried me and why you should take my advice." At that, Nina picked up the phone and began another exchange, sniffling as she waited for the call to be picked up.

* * *

A portly dragon wearing a polo and tie sat at his desk, taking in a moment of solace after his rather difficult day at the office. Usually, he would be gathering his belongings and taking the portal transit back home, but now it was nap time. At least, it _was_ nap time, until his phone rang out in protest of his fatigue. Picking up the call, Flash waited for a voice. He immediately sat up straight, however, when he heard sniffles on the other end.

"Nina? Is that you?" he asked, concern obvious in his voice.

"Yes, Flash. Something horrible happened, and I need you to pick up Spyro at Cynder's house," Nina managed to force out in between sobs.

"What happened and why are you crying? Did they get hurt?"

"...please, Flash. Just bring Spyro and come home."

"...I understand. I love you, OK? Everything will be fine, don't worry." More sounds of grief echoed through the speaker, and Flash decided to close the call. He had a job to do, a job for his family. Sleep could wait.

* * *

Instead of thinking of his actions, Classic was starting to go through a mental breakdown. Once he and his brother stepped paw in the hospital, it was game over. The doctor would do what he does best, and then there would be questions. Questions that should never, ever be asked.

 _'Why did I have to start this all in the first place? Now the both of us are gonna be thrown in juvenile detention, and if we break out, we'll be fugitives! No amount of magic could fix that...'_ Classic stared at his mother, who was sobbing at the phone, until an idea dawned upon him. _'Or could it?'_

Tuning his magic sense, he trained his focus on the telephone that was mounted to the wall. He pinged it with a small packet of magic and it responded by producing a blue translucent panel with the words:

"InsomniacIncTelephonyModelWR467-telephone  
Ready for maintenance, enter a command.  
[#!]_"

Classic looked from the telephone's message to his broken mother. He hated the idea of leading her on like this, but for every non-looper's sake, no one should ever find out about the loops unless they were awake. Gathering his resolve, Classic began to commandeer the home's telephone lines.

"[#!]block outgoing calls  
Calls blocked.  
[#!]show all enchantments  
Telephony. emt

Contacts. emt  
[#!]_"

Classic decided to run the answering machine and set it up with an infinitely looping path whenever a call was made. _'There, that should keep her from reaching the doctor. Now for my twin...'_

"[#!]run Telephone. emt  
Created and distributed by Insomniac Inc. Working day and night, for you!  
[#!]run Contacts. emt  
Flash  
Edna  
Hunter  
Red  
[#!]call Edna"

Nina resolved to compose herself and attempted to stop hyperventilating. She had to be strong for her sons. There was no way that she could call the doctor, not in her current emotional state. Meanwhile, Classic was waiting for the other end to pick up, and prayed that sound would not come forth from the speaker when it did. Thankfully, he saw text being written on the panel with the words: "Calling, please wait."

Classic let out a sigh of relief. _'Sweet, sweet silence.'_

* * *

A loud ring broke the tension in the room and Legend would have jumped at the sound had it not been for his aching body. Ember's mother picked up the phone and her eyes widened. Legend wondered what she could be doing with the strange device in her claws, but he didn't have to wonder any longer when she walked to the sofa and handed him the plastic object.

"It's for you."

"Um...thank you?" Legend said, taking the strange object in both claws.

As Edna walked away, Legend continued to just stare at the plastic device in front of him. He looked at Cynder, who appeared to be equally dumbfounded over what this strange thing was for. It didn't take long for both dragons to look at Ember for an answer, the pink dragoness chuckling at the sight.

"It's a telephone. You hold it up to your ear and the other end to your mouth, and it lets you talk to people far away," Ember explained.

Legends paused at her explanation before looking down at this 'telephone.' Who would be wanting to talk to him from far away? Why didn't they just seek him out like a normal being would? Regardless, heeding Ember's words, he held the plastic device up to his ear. "Uh...hello?"

It was then he heard a giggle from Ember. She took the phone from him and turned it the _correct_ side up. Legend paused before trying again. A familiar voice sounded from the object, and Legend suddenly wished that he was deaf.

"Hey, d—... _twin_ , you there?"

Legend paused, expression flattening as he glanced over to the odd device out of the corner of his eye. "...Why are you talking to me? Is this actually you, or is this one of those magic tricks?"

"No, it's actually me," Classic replied on the other end, his voice having a serious tone to it. "You're using a telephone, and...never mind. I have to ask you something."

"And what's that?" Legend asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you lie about what happened?"

Legend paused, making sure Ember's mother wasn't around to overhear them. Once he was sure they were alone, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "...Yes."

"Good. What did you say?"

"Ember, Cynder and myself were at the park, trying to run from flowing lava when a pillar fell on me," Legend said in a whisper. "It knocked the wind out of me for a bit, and streams of lava started to flow around me, which was what gave me these burns." Despite not being able to see his counterpart at the moment, he could just sense that he had winced from that line. "Luckily, Cynder managed to get me out before anything serious happened to me."

"...Alright, I can work with this. Stick to your story when you come home, and remember: we can never explain loops to any non-loopers. Capiche?" Classic said, his voice taking a surprisingly serious tone.

"...What does 'capiche' mean?"

He heard his counterpart sigh on other end of the phone, an act that caused Legend to frown in annoyance.

"Do you _understand_?" Classic asked again.

"...I understand."

"Alright, see you soon."

A monotonous tone bleated through the speaker and Ember pulled the phone away, believing that the call had ended. Curious, she looked at Legend. "So, who was it?"

Legend paused for a bit, digesting what had just occurred a moment ago. "It was your Spyro," he finally replied, his tone indifferent.

"He called you, just now? What did he say?" Ember asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He asked me if I lied, and he's trying to help me."

At this, Cynder connected the dots as to what was happening when her mate began talking to the weirdly-shaped object next to his head. She gave a soft smile. "Well, it doesn't seem like he has hard feelings about what happened. That's good, isn't it?"

Legend turned to Cynder with a small frown. "I don't know. From what I can tell, he's only doing this to keep others from knowing about the loops."

"If he hated you that much, though, then he wouldn't have called in the first place."

Both Legend-branch loopers looked at Ember. She gave a soft smile.

"Listen. I know that my Spyro can be a bit stubborn and mischievous. Even though I still like him regardless, even _I_ have to admit that," Ember said, chuckling slightly. Shaking her head, she looked back at the two dragons. "However, I know for a fact that he's not the kind of dragon who holds grudges."

"How can you be so sure?" Legend asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because," Ember said, giving a wink. "I've read about his adventures so much that I know them almost as well as he knows them himself, and there are plenty of stories I can tell you that prove my point. For example, there was Bianca. She was an apprentice to the Sorceress, an evil witch who kidnapped the dragon eggs on the Year of the Dragon."

Legend winced when Ember mentioned how the dragon eggs were stolen, but a quick pat on his paw from Cynder was enough to calm him down.

"Bianca spent most of my Spyro's adventure there taunting him, as well as causing general trouble. However, when she found out what the Sorceress was planning to do with the dragon eggs, she was horrified and went to my Spyro to help him. Despite everything she had done up to that point, my Spyro was more than willing to let her join them, and with her help, they managed to rescue all the remaining eggs and beat the Sorceress," Ember explain, a bit of fan-girlish excitement in her words.

Shaking her head, she looked to the two again. "If you want an even better example, you should hear about when he faced Red."

"Why? Who's Red?" Cynder asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ember giggled before sighing. "Red was a rogue Elder who tried to take over the realms with his dark gems, stones that warped the very existence of reality around them," she began, closing her eyes as she began to recall the tale. "He caused a lot of problems during that adventure and, unlike Bianca, my Spyro even had to directly confront him to get him to stop. Though he left the realms for a time after Spyro beat him, he soon returned when the Sorcerer attacked."

"During that time, Red acted as the Sorcerer's right-hand man. He acted very much like he did during the previous attack... However, it was only then that Spyro discovered a certain fact about Red," Ember said, sighing as she looked down. "As it turned out, he wasn't committing any of those acts of his own will. He used to be a good dragon, a lot like my Spyro, before the Sorcerer managed to brainwash him into a power-mad dragon bent on taking over the realms."

Both Legend and Cynder flinched a bit, looking at each other before looking back to Ember. The pink dragoness sighed before she continued.

"Thankfully, when Spyro fought him that time, he managed to break the control the Sorcerer had over him. Though we don't really get to see him much since it isn't until very late in the loop, from what I've seen, Red is remorseful for his actions even though Spyro was more than willing to accept him despite all he has done," Ember said, closing her eyes as she raised her head. "It's a good thing he was so accepting, too. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be forced to carry out things against your will."

"Yeah..."

Legend looked over to Cynder, the dragoness holding her head low as her eyes drooped. Legend leant his head over to her, nuzzling her gently. Ember opened her eyes in time to see this display, her face remaining expressionless. When she noticed the two starting to look her way again, Ember quickly reclosed her eyes.

"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is Spyro doesn't care what you've done, even if you fought him directly. If you feel bad about what you've done, or are willing to change, he'll accept you no matter what."

Silence hung over the group as Ember finished, Legend taking in what she had said. Not long after, a knock was heard and the front door creaked open.

"Spyro! Your father is here!" Edna called.

With that, Ember and Cynder helped Legend to his paws and walked him to the door. As they rounded the corner, Cynder turned her mate's head toward hers and whispered into his ear, "May the ancestors be with you in this crazy place."

"May they be with us all," Legend whispered back before he turned towards the door.

Legend then steeled himself for the craziest sight he had ever encountered in his loops thus far. His dragonfly father stood at the door, taking the form of a portly blue dragon. The bag he carried dropped and his maw hung open in shock at the pitiful sight before him. "What the heck happened to you?!"

Legend sighed. From this point on, anything that resembled logic would no longer apply.

* * *

"Por tejedor, pulse dos. Para asistensia, habla 'representante.' Press one to continue in Artisan."

Nina depressed the second key on the phone, rather surprised that the local hospital decided to prioritize Dream Weaver tongue over Artisan.

"Por tejedor, pulse dos. Para asistensia—"

This time, Nina tried the first key. Was this thing broken?

"Por tejedor, pulse do—"

With great frustration, she tried to reach the hospital one last time.

"Representante!"

"Por teje—"

"Ah, hijo de puta!"

The telephone was slammed back into its dock and Nina sulked against the wall. She would have to walk her kids all the way to the hospital, at this hour?

Glancing towards her son, who almost looked like a woolly sheep with the cotton that enveloped his torso, she decided that, for now, the doctor could wait. Suddenly, a knock sounded from the door. Nina rose again and walked towards the door with a heavy heart. She knew what was coming, and when she opened the door, her fears were realized.

"Oh god..."

Burn marks scarred her other son, who was carried in the arms of her husband. One disaster was enough, but two? It just wasn't fair...

"Come in, Flash. Be careful with him."

"But I've been careful the entire time I carried him."

"Flash. Not now."

With that firm declination, Nina walked back to the living room and watched as her husband carefully lay Legend on the sofa across from Classic. The first thing that the parboiled dragon noticed about his counterpart was the ridiculous get-up.

Classic caught this derisive stare and responded from the corner of his mouth. "Don't ask."

Both dragons then looked towards their mother. Dried tears marred her face, and their father crossed his arms while staring at his pair of sons, anxious to find out what happened. Flash took the lead this time and sounded his curiosity. "Alright, son. Spill. Tell exactly what happened to your mother."

Both Spyros opened their mouths to answer before Classic was corrected.

"I'm talking to the one who doesn't look like a sheep."

The Classic-branch anchor looked away, insulted. "Well, you don't have to be mean about it."

"Well, it was like Ember's mother said on the phone," Legend said, turning his head towards his parents. "We were at the park before the chaos started, and tried to get away once it did. A pillar had sprung up, and was about to collapse on us. I managed to push Cynder and Ember out of the way, but I didn't escape in time. I was nearly boiled by lava, but Cynder managed to get me out in time," he explained, motioning to his burns.

Nina narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she looked at the twins. "And why exactly weren't you with your brother?"

"Um...well..." Legend said, averting his eyes. He tried to come up with a rational explanation for why, but every time he dared a glance towards his mother, he found it hard to fabricate something. He always had a hard time lying to his parents, even if they were in a different form.

"We got into an argument," Classic jumped in, managing to free his mouth from the gauze he was wrapped in like a mummy.

Legend's head turned quickly to face his counterpart, though he winced from pain at said action. Classic glanced at his counterpart, his expression unchanging as he looked back at his parents.

"Well, you see... You know how earlier today Hunter was looking for us?" Classic asked, putting on the most apologetic expression he could.

"Yeah...?" Nina asked, her voice taking a more serious tone as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well...he was really looking for me specifically," Classic said, looking down sorrowfully. "We...we planned to pull some pranks today, involving a mash potato cannon."

"A what now?" Flash asked, scratching his head.

"A mash potato cannon. It's a cannon that fires mash potatoes," Classic said, looking up. "We made it a few weeks ago. We weren't going to hurt anyone with it, honest!"

Despite Classic's insistence, Nina was absolutely livid. She growled, throwing up her arms. "I knew that Hunter was a bad influence on you! I honestly have no idea why I let you hang out with him!"

"The mash potato cannon was my idea, though. Hunter really is a good cheetah, honest!"

Flash shook his head, giving Classic a stern look. "We'll discuss this 'potato cannon' thing later. For now, let's get back to why you and your brother split up."

"Oh, right. Well, obviously, I didn't tell my twin about this," Classic said, looking away. "...Honestly, I was planning on ditching him from the start."

" _Spyro_!"

Both Spyros flinched before Nina shook her head.

"No, I mean the Spyro who is currently in _more_ trouble," Nina said before she shot a cold glare at Flash.

Flash cleared his throat as he looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sorry... Anyways, my twin ended up finding out about it and obviously he wasn't exactly happy about the idea," Classic said, looking over to Legend. "We started arguing, I called him a stick in the mud, and he called me a child. Eventually, he tried to take the cannon from me and I tried to grab it back, and we ended up breaking it. I ended up getting so mad that I ran off, and eventually made my way to the skatepark to calm down and...well," Classic said, looking down at himself. "...I think you already know what happened."

"And where was Hunter in all this?" Nina demanded, crossing her arms.

"He tried to chase after me, but despite being a cheetah, I'm still a lot quicker than he is."

To this, Nina couldn't really disagree. She still remembered trying to corral Classic as a youngling, a thought that made her shudder.

"And why didn't you try to chase after him?" Flash asked, turning his attention towards Legend.

"I...I tried to," Legend said, lowering his head. "But he was far too quick for me to keep up with. He kept weaving in and out of alleyways and, well...I ended up getting lost."

"See! You see! I _told_ you they should keep a map of the city on them at all times!"

"Nina..."

Admittedly, Legend found it hard not to chuckle, but it quickly subsided when his parents glanced at him again. Lowering his head, he began to continue his story. "Anyways, I managed to find my way to the park, where I met up with Cynder and Ember, and then all that chaos started and..."

Nina looked at both her boys, the pitiful looks on their faces causing her expression to soften slightly. She sighed, placing her paw on her head. "...I really wish you boys would get along. Ever since you were young, you two have been at each other's throats."

"Well, since it sounds like this was mostly Spyro's...well, the Spyro-wrapped-in-gauze's fault," Flash said, rolling his eyes when Nina gave him a glare. "I feel like an apology is in order. Spyro, apologize to your brother."

Classic paused, glancing over to Legend. Legend looked at him with an expressionless face. Classic's eyes glanced down, his face drooping. He managed to glance up for a few seconds, but his expression was unchanging.

"I'm...I'm sorry. For everything," he said before he looked down again.

Legend didn't say anything at first, though a small smile slowly made its way onto his face. Finally, despite how much it pained him to do so, he lifted his paw and patted Classic on the back. "Apology accepted."

Classic glanced back up, managing to smile despite the first-aid cocoon he was wrapped in. Nina and Flash's expressions softened, but nonetheless Flash cleared his throat.

"Now then, sheep Spyro," Flash said, trying to suppress a laugh as he glanced down at the Spyro wrapped in gauze. "Go to your room. You're grounded until further notice."

The smile on Classic's face quickly disappeared after that, but nonetheless, after everything he'd done today, he felt like he had no right to disagree. With a sad sigh, he attempted to get up...only to roll off the couch and onto the floor, the gauze softening the impact. Classic attempted to right himself, paws flailing to no avail.

 _'I feel like I'm trapped in the boulder again...'_ he thought, his expression flattening.

Flash shot Nina a flat glance. Nina looked away, biting her lip slightly. "Okay, so maybe I overreacted just a _tiny_ bit..."

Legend tried his best to suppress a chuckle. He considered rolling his twin to their room, but he was interrupted by a question from his mother.

"Spyro, did you have something to eat while you were out?" Nina asked, eyeing neither Spyro in particular.

As if on cue, Legend's stomach rumbled. While Legend didn't fully understand the diet among dragons in this loop, food was food. So, he shook his head and his mother's eyebrow raised.

"You two must be starving! Flash, help the kids to the kitchen, will you?"

Flash nodded his head, going to pick both Spyros up. Immediately, Classic was quick to speak up in an attempt to avoid any further embarrassment. "No, wait!"

Both Spyros turned their heads to each other, and Classic took control of the conversation. "We can get there ourselves, right, bro?"

Legend took the hint and tried his best not to give out as he proceeded to push his brother to the kitchen, Classic's arms crossed and an embarrassed blush visible on his face. _'So much for avoiding embarrassment...'_

Nina walked ahead, looking back to make sure her son wasn't pushing himself too hard. With a smile, she spoke. "First, sandwiches. Then to bed, both of you. You need your rest."

* * *

Two pieces of bread, with some slivers of meat and a slice of cheese in between. Although he was glad that this meal did not involve the use of silverware, Legend didn't understand the purpose of the bread. But that didn't stop him from inhaling four sandwiches. Classic, on the other hand, ate slowly, struggling to raise the food to his mouth from inside his prison of gauze. Both dragons finished eating and their parents carried them off to their room. After some 'goodnight's and 'I love you's, the Spyros laid in their beds and the door closed.

Drowsiness settled in, and Classic was relieved that he could finally get some sleep, but fate would have none of this.

"Spyro?"

The fleeced dragon's eyes creaked open at this interruption. He sighed, but nonetheless answered his brother.

"What?" he asked, attempting to look at his counterpart, only to fail miserably due to his gauze prison.

Legend paused before he raised his head to look at Classic, a frown on his face. "Do you hate me? For letting you take the blame and the punishment?"

"...I'm not happy about it, but I deserve it. Considering all this was my fault, you were more or less the victim here, regardless," Classic said, glancing at Legend from the corner of his eye. "I don't hate you."

Legend looked on with a blank expression before he finally snapped back to reality. "But, what about—?"

"No, not even during the fight. I just thought that, if I could prove to you that I'm at your level, you wouldn't think of me as a brat anymore," Classic said, looking up at the ceiling as he frowned slightly. "...Though, I have to admit that I also wanted to make you eat your words for calling me a child."

"...I'm sorry for saying that," Legend said, glancing downward.

"Hey, like I said, we're both kids. It's just that you seem to hate that idea. I guess that's what got me mad," Classic said, shrugging as much as he could in his first-aid prison.

Legend turned around, laying his head on his pillow as he curled up into a ball. Several seconds passed before he let out a sigh. "If you've been through what I've been through, you'd understand."

A yawn groaned out from Legend's counterpart. Classic's eyes drooped, but he was determined to continue the conversation.

"Yeah, about that... Exactly how bad is your loop?" he asked, glancing at Legend again out of the corner of his eye. "I mean, I know you said it was in the middle of a massive war and you were dragged into it at around the same age I was when I started my adventures, but considering...well..." Classic averted his eyes, wishing he could just shake off the memory of what he had caused Legend to transform into.

Legend was silent for a few seconds, unmoving as he began to speak.

"Imagine a world where you're a special kind of dragon. A dragon born once every ten generations. A dragon whose major innate ability is to guide the fate of the era you're born into." Legend paused, letting that sink in. "Now, imagine the previous purple dragon before you went mad with power, became convinced his destiny was to end the world, and got locked into a millennia-long war with his own kind."

Classic silently listened to Legend's story. Legend raised his head, glancing at his counterpart out of the corner of his eye.

"Now, imagine being born into said world, where everyone knows that, because you have the same abilities as that dragon, you're the only one that has even a remote chance of beating him, despite the fact that he has way more experience with these powers than you do," Legend said before he rested his head back on the pillow. "...And _that_ is only the tip of the iceberg."

"Imagine having to find out about these powers and origin when you originally believed you were no different than a dragonfly. Imagine having to fight your way through hordes of hardened soldiers to save the only dragons who can teach you how to use these powers. Imagine having to fight the other purple dragon's general, a dragon who terrified you to your very core, only to later find out that..."

Legend paused, managing to catch himself before he let that specific detail spill. He glanced back to Classic, who was eyeing him curiously. Legend shook his head.

"Never mind, it's not important," he said before he rolled onto his back and began to look at the ceiling. "What I'm trying to get at is, you can say that you come from a world with a very bad baseline...but you don't know just how taxing, how _stressful_ it is to be that one dragon who has to try to put it all back together again, to _make_ it good...until you've experienced every single detail yourself."

Legend sighed, closing his eyes. "Now, imagine having to do all this...to relive all of this...again...and again...and _again..._ "

Classic said nothing as an awkward silence fell over the room. He closed his eyes. _'I think I'm beginning to understand why he's so uptight...'_

"Well," Classic said, glancing back over to Legend, "at the very least, all the skills you've built up should make it all easier, right?"

"In some ways, yes. The only being in my loop that can still give me a challenge is Malefor, the other purple dragon I mentioned. Considering that, despite all my loops, he's probably _still_ way older than me because of living for a millennia before I came along, it's not surprising." Legend let out a long sigh. "However, there are some things...some things even gaining raw amounts of power can't fix..."

Classic raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Silence fell over the room as Classic waited for a response. Legend stirred in his bed before he sighed.

"There's...there's someone I'm trying to save in my loop, someone who, if I don't manage to pull it off, ends up having a horrible baseline for the rest of the loop," Legend said, making sure not to go into any specific details. "I know where they are during all this, but...the problem is, I barely have a few minutes after the loop starts to save them, and even with Dragon Time...I always end up getting there when it's too late."

A silence hung over the room again as Classic listened to Legend's plight. Classic looked up towards the ceiling, unmoving in his cocoon as he thought about Legend's problem. "You know," he said, looking back towards Legend, "I can teach you to teleport, if you want."

"Huh?" Legend said, raising his head to look at Classic.

"Yeah," Classic said, his voice taking a more cheery tone. "If slowing down time isn't helping you, then teleportation might. I know my teleportation is almost instantaneous, so it might help you get to where you need to go at the start of your loop in time."

Legend paused before he laid back down on his pillow. "I'm...I'm not sure. I've never really tried using magic before. What makes you think I can pull it off?"

"Well, mostly because magic is pretty easy once you know the basics," Classic said with a smile. "And because, if the purple dragons of your world are more or less like the ones from mine, you should at least have _some_ magical talent."

Legend paused, silently taking in Classic's words. He smiled. "...Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Again, the least I can do after how much of a jerk I've been," Classic said, closing his eyes as he grinned.

Silence washed over the room again as the two weary dragons rested their heads on their pillows. Several seconds passed before Classic glanced over towards Legend.

"You know," Classic began, "I've had to fight another purple dragon in my loop too."

Legend raised his head, glancing over to Classic.

"...Granted, the situation he caused wasn't as bad as a millennia-long war, but he _did_ try to suck the Dragon Realms into an alternate dark dimension," Classic said, glancing towards the ceiling.

"Why did he do that?"

Classic paused before he glanced back at Legend. "Not really sure, to be honest. It was some sort of gibberish about him being the only 'true dragon.' If you ask me, I just think he was nuts."

Legend paused. From the sound of things, the purple dragon Classic faced sounded like it might be his world's counterpart to Malefor, give or take a few generations.

"I suppose it was more than likely I'd end up facing a purple dragon at some point, though, considering they aren't as rare in my world as they sound in yours," Classic said, looking back at the ceiling. "Don't get me wrong, they're still really rare in comparison to other scale colorations, but it's not a 'once in every ten generations' thing like you said it was in your world."

Legend raised an eyebrow. "That...that sounds rather dangerous, to be honest. How could there be so many dragons that possess these kinds of powers running around, and yet your world manages to remain peaceful despite it?"

"My guess is it mostly comes down to natural talent with that," Classic said, glancing back to Legend. "Besides, high magical affinity and reserves are actually the only real abilities purple dragons of my world possess," Classic admitted with a sigh. "The only reason I'm able to use so many elements is because they were induced by fairy magic..."

Legend paused. "Odd. Purple dragons in my world can use many different elements as innate ability."

There was yet another silence as Classic yawned, trying his best to fight off the sleep his body was desperately craving. He glanced over to Legends, expression indifferent. "Hey..."

Legend raised his head, glancing back at Classic.

"Listen. I understand how bad of a world you come from now, and I'm sorry for making light of it earlier..." Classic said as he looked at Legend with wide eyes. "But if your loops sucked that badly, and you were presented the opportunity to have some fun for once, why aren't you taking it?"

At this, Legend found himself unable to answer. This thought had never really crossed his mind during the whole ordeal. Sure, Classic had mentioned this to him before, though tempers were flaring at the time. He hadn't really thought about what he'd said until now. Logically, Classic's point was undeniable, but logic doesn't really play much of a part in emotions.

Legend stared up at the ceiling, trying to form a solid rebuttal, until he heard soft snoring from the bed across from him. Glancing over, he saw his counterpart had finally lost the battle against his sleep-deprived body.

 _'Well, I guess this conversation is over. To be honest, I wish I_ could _enjoy this place. It's just that the thought that there's another me running around, who might as well be my complete opposite...it's just unsettling.'_

Feeling the lull of sleep becoming heavier and heavier, Legend pulled up the covers and finally put an end to this long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. The Spyros are no longer attempting to kill each other... though, things are now rather awkward between them.
> 
> And so completes the first quarter of this arc. This isn't the end of it by far. There are still two more quarters to go. Second quarter is likely the characters trying to get use to each other, and as for the third quarter... well, that's going to be a secret at the moment. If you really want to spoil yourselves, the link to the thread we're using to work on this is on my profile like always.
> 
> Anyways, not much else to say about this chapter. Will the Spyros be able to get use to each other in the up coming chapters? How will the Legend characters adjust to their new surroundings? And will Legend finally be able to lighten up a little? Find out next time!)


	12. New world, new experiences (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx)

**(Fused loop 1.1 continued) (Feat: TokoWH, UkeleleNarhwal, and AbZHz101)**

Legend's flew through the swamp that was his home. He pushed his body to it's limit. He had to find Cynder before his premonition came true. He blasted through the familiar trees the wind from his wings caressing the trees as he sped past. Finally he saw the Dragon Temple appear in front of him. Instinct guided him down into the hatchery, there was no time to lose. Once he entered the hatchery, he noticed that it was filled! Before he truly had time to contemplate this, the doors slammed shut, and the light from overhead dimmed, leaving Legends in pure black. Sending out a puff of flame to have enough light to locate his targets, Legends took aim and ignited the torches by one of the doorframes. Treading lightly around the room, Legends proceeded to do the same to the other torches, until the entire room was lit. Turning around the entire room to search for potential attackers he found none. He seemed to be alone in the room for now, what was going on?

However once he turned his back to the pedestal where the purple egg... his egg... was he heard a spine-tingling chuckle. Twisting, he found his own egg gone, and a familiar form twisted by dark energies stepping out from the shadows. Legends crouched, preparing to move, expecting a fight. "My, my, aren't we anxious?" his dark scaled counterpart queried. Legend's said nothing, scanning the area around the dark dragon for traps as much as he could without taking his eyes off his enemy. "Well at least you're not fooling yourself as to your expectations," his darkness said with a shrug. "Good, because _we've_ been waiting for this for _so long_ for you to show up. Why she just couldn't hold out. But she came to my way of thinking eventually."

Legend's eyes widened in shock and denial. _'No! He couldn't mean-'_ At that moment an adult black dragoness stepped out into the light, Cynder, the Terror of the Skies. _"YOU-"_ Legends cryed as he rushed the dark dragon, _he'd end this in one blow!_ Neither black dragon made a move to block him. However just before his attack landed, his Darkness became Classic, a look of terror drawn on his face. Eyes barely staying in their sockets, Legends brought his attack to a halt inches before it would have hit Classic.

Then the look on Classic's face morphed into a sadistic grin, and he returned to being his inner Darkness. Open, Legends could only try to mitigate the damage done by Dark Spyro's counterstrike. Rolling from where he had been knocked back to, Legends gaped at his Dark form in unguarded horror. Dark Spyro howled in laughter, "Oh gods, you're still so damn gullible! You really think hesitating _now_ will help you? For all you're expertize at fighting you walk into every single trap fat and happy!" Dark Spyro stopped laughing. "Now let's have some fun shall we?" With that he launched a lightning bolt at Legends.

Expecting an attack, Legends jerked to the side out of the way, only to watch as the bolt continued on it's path and struck one of the eggs lining the walls, shattering it. the implication was obvious, dodge and the eggs would pay the price. "Coward!" Legends roared.

"Pragmatic," Dark Spyro retorted at a much lower volume. "Besides, Cynder and I will be lauded as heroes who valiantly overcame the evil purple who came into the sanctuary to destroy all the eggs," then with a shake of his head containing on obviously false sorrow he said, "Such a shame that we arrived too late to stop him."

"What are you-" Legends began to ask before looking down at his form. What he saw made his blood run cold. He was somehow in Malefor's body!

"NOW THEN" an echoing call hit Legends from every side. Looking around he saw that he was now flying in the caldera of an active volcano. "TRY TO KEEP ME ENTERTAINED BEFORE YOU DIE, WOULD YOU?"

* * *

Classic groaned, reluctantly opening his eyes. In short, it was easier to list everything on him that _didn't_ ache. If nothing else, sleep was an empty, relaxing void. He yawned.

"Mornin'," he said without really thinking.

He paused when he got no response. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over to Legend out of the corner of his eye. He saw the dragon in question curled up in his bed, shaking badly as he held the blanket up over his head. Classic blinked.

 _'Odd... Didn't take him for someone who has nightmares,'_ Classic thought, shaking his head. "Yo! Time to wake up!"

Legend refused to respond, still hiding under his blanket as he continued to shake. Classic narrowed his eyes. "Come on, wake up!"

Classic frowned as Legend stubbornly refused to respond. He sighed. _'Looks like I'm going to have to go over there and wake him up by force.'_

Classic tossed his blanket off with his somewhat free paws. He went to jump out of his bed, but all he accomplished was making the bed rock slightly. He tried again, but once again he was met with nothing more than the bed rocking. He scowled, beginning to flail about in attempt to free himself from his prison, but to no avail.

He sighed, his face going flat as a puff of smoke escaped his nostrils. _'If I can even_ get out _of this bed first.'_

Classic began rolling side to side in hopes that it would free him. Continuing to rock back and forth, he was finally met with success as he rolled onto the floor, a squeaking sound being released from the gauze cushion that encased him. There was a slight, slow 'ow' from Classic as he picked himself up. Looking over to Legend, he narrowed his eyes. Walking over, having to scuttle his paws across the floor due to how wrapped up he was, he soon found himself at Legend's bed.

"Hey! Wake up!" Classic said, raising up and beginning to shake his shoulder. "I said wake u— _AAAH!_ "

With a shout of terror, Legend jumped up in his bed. Classic went tumbling back from the sudden action, his cocoon of gauze letting out squeaks as he bounced along the floor. He let out another moan of pain before he looked up at Legend. Legend was panting as he sat in his bed, staring down blankly. Classic raised an eyebrow.

"Man," he said, rolling to his side and back to his feet. "Not even considering what happened yesterday, you look awful."

Legend glanced over, his bloodshot eyes hidden slightly behind his drooping eyelids. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Classic scuttled back over to him.

"You get _any_ sleep last night?" Classic asked, raising an eyebrow.

Legend took a few seconds before he responded, taking a few deep breaths. "Not...not really."

Classic watched as Legend put a paw on his forehead. Eyes wide with concern, he put his forepaws on his bed.

"You can go back to bed if you want," Classic said, looking away. "I can figure out how to get a healing spell myself if you're that tired."

 _"_ _No_ _!"_ Legend blurted out, turning his head quickly as he looked at his counterpart, nearly causing Classic to stumble over again. Realizing his sudden outburst, Legend cleared his throat as his expression softened. "I-I mean, I want to help. The only reason we need those spells is because of me. If I didn't... _mess up_ during our fight, then we could go to whatever this 'hospital' is and our parents would believe everything we said."

Classic gave his counterpart an odd look, noting the obviously fake smile on his face. Nonetheless, he shook it off.

"...Alright. But I still don't know what we can do at this point. I'm stuck at home, and you're definitely not well enough to go anywhere anytime soon," Classic said before looking back towards the door. "On top of that, our parents will figure something is up if they catch us sneaking a medical spellbook into the house."

Legend paused, looking down at his blanket. Several seconds passed before his eyes widened and he looked at Classic. "What about that...talking...thing?"

"...I'm sorry?"

Legend's expression flattened as he put his paw to his head. "You know, that...thing you used to talk to me at Cynder's yesterday."

"You mean a phone?"

"Yeah. We can talk to Cynder and ask her to help us out."

Classic paused, attempting to put his paw on his chin, but thanks to his bandages it looked more like he was pointing at his chest. "Well, I messed up the phone last night, but I can use my command line to get around that easily. What about Hunter, though?"

Legend paused, looking away. "I...well, don't take this the wrong way, but—"

"You don't trust him?" Classic asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's understandable, I guess. I just thought that there would be lower risk if someone who's used to cities brought the book to us, but now that I think about it, Hunter has a horrible sense of direction. Maybe it's best that your friend take care of this."

"So, when are we—?"

Before Legend could finish, his mother called her kids down to the kitchen. "Spyros, breakfast!"

Classic and Legend looked toward the door and Legend sighed in fatigue, preparing to push his brother to the table once more. However, Classic held up his paw at the gesture.

"I am an independent dragon, thank you very much," Classic said as he began to scuttle towards the door. He paused when he noticed the door knob. He attempted to stand to place his paw on it, but as soon as he got on his hind legs, he fell over onto his back.

The fleeced dragon frowned before he attempted to roll himself to the bedroom door. Though he managed that with paws facing the door knob, to his distress he found that no matter how much he flailed his paws, the doorknob was _just_ out of reach. Classic glanced over to his counterpart, said dragon trying his best not to smirk at the scene. Classic's expression flattened before he finally sighed in defeat.

"A little help? ... _Please_?"

* * *

The entire family sat at the kitchen table, dining on pieces of toast with assorted spreads. As Legend and Classic silently ate, Nina glanced down at her troubled and exhausted child.

"Spyro?"

Both heads raised in acknowledgement.

"The one on my left, please."

Classic resumed his breakfast, while Legend twiddled his claws, having a hard time looking at his mother.

"Yes, mother?" Legend asked, his voice a bit shaky.

"I was doing my nightly neighbourhood patrol on the dreamscape, and I saw your nightmare."

At this, Legend could barely prevent the food from catapulting out of his mouth. _'W-what!? How could she see my dreams?!'_

Seeing how unnerved his counterpart was, Classic's mind began to race. _'Oh crap! Why did our loop mother have to be a Dream Weaver!? Crap, crap,_ crap _! If my counterpart dreamed about the fight, we're in deep trouble!'_

"Even though I could have ended the nightmare myself, I believe that dreams help our minds process the events of our day and even nightmares have their place," Nina said before she glanced upward. "What I'm surprised about is the content of your nightmare. I didn't recognize anything from it, except for your brother. Is there something you're not telling me?"

It took everything Classic had to keep a calm straight face, despite how inside he was letting loose a stream of profanities that would cause a drunken sailor to turn beet red. Luckily, before Nina could continue her inquiry, Flash dropped his bread and the chair squeaked as it got pushed back a bit.

"Nina, don't do that!"

"Do what?" Nina asked, her expression seemingly innocent.

Flash held his claws to his temples as he sighed. "Just because you can talk about other people's dreams doesn't mean you should."

"This is our kids that I'm talking about. If they're having bad dreams, it's my responsibility to put an end to it," Nina retorted, crossing her arms.

"Nina. Our sons are twelve years old. They're coming to the point where they need to learn how to deal with their own problems, so the training wheels have to come off," Flash said, narrowing his eyes.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?!" Nina said, narrowing hers.

As the argument began, Classic signalled Legend to the living room, where they could assess the situation in relative privacy. Thankfully, in their heated discussion, their parents didn't notice them slip away. Once he felt like he was out of earshot, Classic began to vehemently whisper to his twin.

"What the hell did you dream about?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Why should I—?"

"Before you finish that question," Classic interrupted, motioning for him to look towards Nina, "let me explain to you something. From what I can tell, Mom is a Dream Weaver. They're dragons that have innate abilities to see and manipulate dreams. The best Weavers can make them come to life. Because she's a Dream Weaver, she'll be able to see everything you dream about, and then there will be questions. At the very _least_ there will be questions, if your dream was revealing enough," Classic explained before he glared back at Legend. "So in other words, _did you or did you not_ dream about the fight yesterday?"

Legend paused, looking away sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Ki...kind of..."

Classic let out a groan. Legend quickly turned to face him.

"Now, hold on. It wasn't the full fight! It was just, well..." Legend said before he sighed and lowered his head. "I was...I was at my world's Dragon Temple at first, and I was confronted by my dark form. He began taunting me and I tried to fight him. When I tried to attack him, he...well, he kind of morphed into you."

At this, Classic raised an eyebrow.

"And it wasn't until late in the dream I realized that I was fighting in Malefor's—the other purple dragon I told you about—body..." Legend finished, looking back up to Classic.

Classic listened to his story, trying to cross his arms as much as his gauze cocoon would let him. "Anything else?"

Legend glanced away, biting his lip. "... No, there was nothing else."

Classic narrowed his eyes. He could tell Legend was hiding more than he let on, but nonetheless he got a feeling there was no way he could drag it out of him. Sighing, he looked at Legend. "Well, there's good news and then there's bad news. What would you like to hear first?"

"Bad news, please," Legend said, turning his head to face Classic.

Classic narrowed his eyes as he relayed his predictions to Legend. "Mom is going to be watching very closely now, and if you keep dreaming about that, she won't have a doubt that we're keeping stuff from her. The good news is that today's dream didn't reveal much, and Mom didn't recognize much, so we can just chalk it up to a scary movie."

At the word 'movie', Legend blinked blankly. Classic shook his head.

"Never mind, that's not what's important at the moment," Classic said before a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. "What is important is that I'm going to help you relax."

"Wha—?"

Classic shook his head before he began to explain. "You're having nightmares because of all the stress you've been through during the loops. You're going to relax, because if you don't, we're both screwed. Got it?"

Despite his apprehension, Legend knew Classic was right. Reluctantly, he nodded. Classic was about to say something, but he noticed that Flash and Nina's argument was beginning to wind down. Quickly, the two quietly resumed their seats at the table without being noticed.

"Honestly, I'm just trying to look out for them," Nina said, her eyes wide as she frowned softly.

Flash closed his eyes as he placed his paw on his forehead. "And, honey, I know how hard it is to see Spyro go through all that, but dreams are dreams. He has to resolve the problem himself so that the next time he has a dream like that, he won't have to depend on you."

Nina frowned before she sighed. Turning her head, she aimed her eyes at Legend. "If this happens again, I will be entering your dream. And then you will explain to me, in detail, every part of that dream. Understand?"

Flash sighed, realizing there was no real reasoning with his wife when it came to protecting their young. Legend nodded vigorously. If he didn't think that his mother made an intimidating dragon before, he sure did now.

"Good. Now finish your breakfast and take a shower, you both smell horrible."

Both Spyros looked down at each other. Curiously, Classic sniffed his gauze cocoon, only to instantly regret that decision as he recoiled in disgust.

* * *

Classic sighed, stretching his sore forelegs, thankful to finally be rid of the gauze prison. He still needed bandaging after his shower, but thankfully with Flash to oversee it, the gauze was much more reasonably applied this time around. Legend opted to take a bath, having a feeling that water droplets hitting his burn wounds wouldn't exactly feel all that good.

Legend sighed. Dragons weren't normally supposed to use towels to dry off, but Nina had insisted. No longer dripping wet, he walked towards the living room where he saw Nina bidding farewell to Flash. He was a bit confused by the fact that they were standing on their hind legs at the time, but after everything that had happened, it definitely wasn't the weirdest thing in this loop by far.

With a slightly amused expression, he began to head up the stairs. As he did, he noticed that Classic had quickly followed behind him. As soon as they were out of earshot of their mother, Classic darted in front of Legend.

"Alright then," Classic said, a smirk on his face. "Time to begin operation 'calm my counterpart down.'"

Legend frowned. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.

"So, is there _anything_ you like to do that isn't related to fighting in a war?" Classic asked, sitting down and crossing his forelegs.

Legend blinked, looking at the odd stance his loop brother was taking. He cringed. "Uh, can you not...do that?"

"Do what?" asked Classic, tilting his head as he raised an eyebrow.

"That...foreleg crossing...thing," Legend said, having to glance away after a while.

Classic blinked. "Why? What's wrong with this?"

"It's just, dragons of my world aren't supposed to _bend_ that way. So, it's a bit..." Legend said, taking another glance as he cringed at the sight, "...unsettling."

Classic's expression flattened as he put both his front paws back on the ground, Legend breathing a sigh of relief as he did. Classic shook his head before he narrowed his eyes at his loop brother.

"Oh, right. Your question," Legend said as he glanced upward in thought. "...Um..."

Legend paused, closing his eyes. _'You know, now that I really think about it...I'm not really sure, to be honest. The last time I remember just playing around and not doing anything related to the war was back in the swamp before I found out I was a dragon, and that was such a long time ago...'_ Legend's head drooped as he let out a sigh. _'I didn't realize it until now, but...as much as I hate to admit it, the war is pretty much all I know...'_

Classic sat with a raised eyebrow, watching his loop brother sit silently. He narrowed his eyes, bringing his paw up and snapping his claws.

"Hey, don't go to sleep on me," Classic said before placing his paw on the ground again. "I know you're tired after last night, but we can't risk you falling asleep and having another nightmare."

Legends jumped at the snapping sound before he eyed his brother curiously. "How'd you do that?"

"What? This?" Classic asked, raising his paw as he snapped his claws again. Seeing Legend recoil a bit in disgust, Classic's face went flat. "Let me guess, dragons of your world don't have double-jointed claws, either?"

"Eh, no..." Legend said flatly, glancing away.

Classic sighed, placing a paw on his head. "Well, that explains why you fumble so much with silverware... Listen, I know this may all seem uncanny to you, but you're going to have to get used to it, since a lot of the stuff from my world is designed around dragons being able to do things that apparently dragons from your world normally can't."

"I've got that, it's just..." Legend said, shaking his head as he looked back at Classic. "Listen, I think we should just focus on getting that healing spell thing you were talking about earlier. We can't really do much of anything while we're still dealing with the effects of what happened yesterday."

Classic's expression flattened. He knew Legend was mostly trying to dodge the subject, but at the same time, he knew what he spoke of was also true.

"Fine. But once that's out of the way, I'm going to teach you how to lighten up a little. No exceptions."

Legend watched as his loop brother headed off towards their room. As soon as he entered through the door, Legend raised his paw and looked at it. Curiously, he began to move one of his claws around. The instant he managed to make it move towards more of an opposable-thumb-like position, he quickly shook his paw and recoiled back. Resolving to _never_ do that again, he followed his loop brother to their room.

* * *

Cynder stared blankly at the odd collection of food on her plate. When she'd heard there was going to be eggs, she hadn't expected them to be whipped into an odd mixture of yellow fluff. There were at least some strips of meat on the side, though there was also more bread. Considering what she had seen so far, bread was mostly used for treats, so having it in what was supposed to be a more substantial meal seemed rather odd. Regardless, seeing Ember starting to turn her collect of food into a sandwich—using the silverware that was, oddly enough, provided for them, for whatever reason—she began to follow suit.

"Cynder, you have a call from Spyro!" Edna said, walking over and handing Cynder the phone. "Also, sweetie, _please_ at least _try_ to use the silverware? I know you had that traumatic incident with a spoon when you were a youngling, but we're not animals."

Cynder blinked as she took the odd plastic device in her paws, unsure of what her loop mother had meant—though, at the mention of the word 'spoon', she _did_ feel a powerful urge to shudder. Looking back down, she noticed the device was the same one Spyro had used yesterday to talk to his counterpart. A 'phone', if she remembered correctly. Though a bit unsure of why one of the Spyros would use such an odd device instead of coming to talk to her in person, she nonetheless—rather awkwardly—held the phone up to her ear.

"U-uh...hello?"

It was at this point Ember gently took the phone from her, turned it the _right_ side up, and gave it back to her, all while trying to suppress a giggle. Blinking in embarrassment, Cynder once again awkwardly held it up to her ear.

"H-hello...?"

"Hello? Cynder, right?"

From the way that line was delivered alone, Cynder could quickly deduce she wasn't talking to her Spyro. She glanced over to the phone in confusion. _'Why would the other Spyro want to talk to me?'_

"Yeah...?" Cynder asked, awkwardly glancing around the room. _'Talking to someone without being able to see them is just too weird...'_

"I need you to do us a favor," Classic said, his voice turning to a whisper. "I need you to go to the library and pick up a book about healing magic."

"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because, our mother wants to take us to the hospital," Classic said, taking a few seconds' pause before he started talking again. "And if she does, the doctor will tell her our injuries are a lot more severe than what they should be compared to our stories, and when she realizes that, our stories will start falling apart, and when _that_ happens, what happened at the park will be dragged out into the open not long after."

"Okay," Cynder said, glancing over to the phone. "I think I get it. You want the book on h—"

" _Shh! Not so loud!_ " Classic whispered forcefully over the phone. "I don't want either of our parents knowing about this. If they find out about the book, they'll know something's up!"

"Oh, sorry..." Cynder said, lowering her voice. "Anyways, you want it to make your wounds less severe and thus make _you know what_ more believable?"

"Something like that. I'd prefer if I could undo it all so we can actually _do_ something this loop, but regardless, so long as we can avoid ending up in _you know where_ in our current state, we'll be good."

Cynder paused, checking to make sure that no one else besides Ember was beside her. Once she was sure no one was eavesdropping, she continued. "Why can't you just go to the library to read up on _that_ there? Seems like it'd be less risky."

"Believe me, I'd prefer it. However, in my story I made it to where I was the one who caused most of the problems, and as such, I doubt my parents are going to let me leave this place until the loop ends. Besides..." Classic paused, looking over to his badly battered loop brother, who was keeping a look out for Nina. "I don't think my twin is in any shape to go anywhere at the moment after yesterday."

Cynder paused before glanced around once again. "...Alright. I'll go check on that as soon as I'm done eating."

"Sweet. Thanks!"

With that, the phone went silent. Cynder waited for a few seconds before an odd beeping sound started to repeatedly ding from the phone, causing Cynder to hold it away from her head.

"That means the call has ended," Ember said, setting her half-eaten sandwich on the plate. "Hit the 'end' button to make it stop."

Cynder paused, staring blankly at the little buttons on the phone with various numbers on them. Noticing the button that had 'end' on it, she did what Ember told her. As the beeping stopped, she set the phone on the table. Ember glanced over to her.

"So," she asked, a soft yet mischievous smile on her face. "What was that about?"

Cynder paused, looking at Ember out of the corner of her eye. "They wanted me to go to the library to pick up a book for them."

"What kind of book?"

Cynder paused, glancing around to make sure their loop mother wasn't anywhere near them. Once she was sure she wasn't going to hear them, she moved closer to Ember.

"I can't say right now. At most, all I can say is it's important," Cynder whispered before returning to her normal position.

Ember paused before she grinned. "Sounds exciting. Can I tag along?"

Cynder hesitated, looking down at her food. "Uh...I dunno. They kind of asked for me specifically, so..."

Ember frowned slightly, but wasn't deterred. "Do you even know where the library is, though?"

Cynder blinked. She turned her head, looking at Ember and the soft smile that was slowly finding its way onto her face.

"...Not really. Do you?" Cynder retorted, though she didn't mean any hard feelings in her words.

"I think I saw it in all the chaos of yesterday. Besides, even if I didn't, I have a great sense of direction," Ember said, grinning. "I managed to find that café yesterday, didn't I?"

Cynder paused, looking at the enthusiastic pink dragoness. She glanced away, looking back down at her food.

"...Alright," she said before she quickly glanced back at Ember. "But we can't tell anyone else about this. Your Spyro made it clear that he didn't want anyone else knowing about this."

Ember's face lit up as she hopped out of her chair. "No problem. Kind of makes it exciting. Like we're on a secret mission." Ember grinned to herself. "Well, no need to worry! Secret agents Ember and Cynder are on the case!"

Ember paused, hearing a low gurgling sound. Looking back, she grinned sheepishly. "...Right after we finish eating."

Cynder paused before a smile slowly started to make its way onto her face. If nothing else, having a sister was certainly entertaining.

* * *

After the call had been made, Classic reapplied the block along with the answering machine loop, relieved that his mother didn't walk in on this act of espionage. He turned to Legend. "Now that the _you know what_ has been taken care of, what do you wanna do?"

Legend opened his mouth to answer, but paused. The only things he could think of—going on a walk, or any outdoor activity for that matter—were simply not possible at the moment. "I don't know. Is there anything to do inside?"

Holding a claw to his chin, Classic voiced the options that he could think of. "There's the TV, though I don't think you're the type who goes for that sort of thing. Books are boring, everyone knows that. I don't know if we have a music player lying around..."

At all but one of these terms, Legend held a flat expression of confusion. Did dragons of this world have that many forms of entertainment? If so, how could anyone be bored?

Classic held his paw to his chin. It was then a smirk appeared on his face. "...Wait, do you like games?"

Legend paused, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't played any sort of game since way back in the swamp before the war. It seemed rather odd, the idea of him trying to play something after everything he'd done in the baseline. Still, if he didn't try to lighten up and had _that_ dream again... "It depends, what were you thinking of?"

"I'll explain later, just follow me for a sec."

Classic led his twin to the living room, their mother apparently absent. Making certain that there was a console available, he opened the drawers to find a suitable video game to play. Finally, he came to the correct compartment and sifted through the small library available. _'Let's see, something easy, fun and innocent. We can't afford nightmares tonight.'_

After reading the backs of a few cases that did not fall into the E rating, Classic pulled out one title that fit the bill. The case depicted a rotund pink creature with a happy smile on its face. It appeared to be a rather adorable rendering of a winged wyvern, though Classic wasn't sure since it looked almost like a ball with stubby limbs. _'Dyson Super Star. Eh, it looks sorta girly, but for sake of avoiding nightmare fuel, this'll have to do.'_

Classic retrieved a controller and handed another to Legend, the latter having no idea what his brother had planned. The disc was inserted and the black surface of the panel at the back of living room came to life with opening credits.

"What is this?" Legend asked, raising his eyebrow at the apparently moving painting before him.

Classic smirked and wrapped his paws around the device. "You'll see."

With that, cheery music played and a pink wyvern performed some impressive aeronautics on the screen, ending its routine by taking a place at the center of the screen its his name displayed above it. Legend paused before he shot Classic a flat expression. Classic tried his best not to laugh as he quickly stopped his brother before he dropped the controller.

"OK, I know what you're thinking," Classic said, placing his paw on Legend's shoulder. "And I'm telling you to go along with this. You said it yourself that we can't really do anything else, so just give it a chance, will ya?"

Legend paused, noting how Classic had to make use of his double joints to hold the odd device in his paws. Legend cringed, but it seemed rather disrespectful to leave. Classic was just trying to help him for a change, and as the old proverb goes: 'never judge a book by its cover.'

"Fine," Legend finally said, though he still sat his controller on the ground. "I'm not going to hold this...thing like you, though. There's no way you can make me do that...stuff with my paws."

"Fair enough," Classic conceded. With that, he started a new save file.

* * *

Legend thought that his brother's adventures sounded a bit far-fetched. However, nothing could compare to the story of the pink wyvern, who had to chase a fat bird that stole all the food in a place called Dreamland. If that wasn't ridiculous enough, the tutorial informed them that the character's main form of attack was to inhale his opponents and mimic their abilities. Though he was rather disturbed by that detail, it did not detract from the adorableness that exuded from the sight before him.

"So, how do I play?"

"Here, let me call a helper."

Classic pressed a button and sacrificed his current power-up to let his brother play. The small scabbard that was produced transformed into an armored lizard with a sword, and Legend decided not to question the logic of what had just happened on the screen. His brother put down his controller and proceeded to explain the controls.

* * *

"So, the one I'm controlling can't die unless it takes too much damage?" Legend asked, raising an eyebrow.

Classic almost let a sigh escape, but managed to stop himself so that he wouldn't alienate his brother. He figured it best that, considering Legend's world didn't even have video games, he played as the character that had no real penalty for dying. Besides, Legend was doing fine, although he was a little low on health.

"Yeah, if you fall off-screen, you just warp back to me."

"You mean the wyvern?"

"Whatever, let's just keep going." Classic guided the wyvern through a door, and both players were met with a walrus that seemed determined not to let them pass.

"I think we have to fight this gu—"

Interrupted by an ice block that collided with the steel-clad dragon, Legend began to panic as the character began to flash and implode.

"What's happening, what's happening?! Am I dying?!"

"Nonono! You're exploding! Just run into the guy!"

"What guy?!"

"The guy who hit you!"

"How does that help?!"

"Just do it!"

Legend held the D-pad to the right, and when his character collided with the ice-throwing walrus, the explosions stopped as the lizard knight was replaced with a dragon that appeared to be made entirely out of snow. Legend breathed a sigh and Classic finished off the boss. In that moment of relief, however, Legend realized something. Although this 'video game', as his brother called it, appeared to pander to audiences below his age, Legend realized that, for the first time, ever since the loops started, he had forgotten his worries and was enjoying himself. With his own counterpart, for that matter!

 _'You know, maybe my brother is right. I really needed this, and the fact that we're actually enjoying each other's company makes it all the better.'_ He smiled at this thought before he turned towards Classic.

"Hey."

Classic paused the game and glanced over to his brother. "Yeah?"

"Thank you, for getting me to play this with you."

Classic smirked. However, for one of the few times in his life, it wasn't his usual cocky smirk. Rather, for once, it was a smirk that carried an aura of sincerity to it. "Thank _you_ for playing with me."

Legend smiled, and the two dragons resumed their game.

With a soft smile and crossed arms, Nina watched her sons play together from behind the corner of the living room's entrance. It was times like these that proved to her that, somehow, despite the situations and crises that seemed to plague this crazy family, she and her husband were still able to raise their kids right.

* * *

No matter how many times she ventured out into this city, it never failed to make her feel out of place. Cynder walked along the sidewalk, watching as beings riding in mini-UFOs skimmed along the road. Why they were keeping low to the ground despite being in something that could fly was beyond her, but this world had been so odd to her so far, so who was she to question things at this point? Shaking her head, she looked forward, seeing Ember skipping along with a smile. How this dragoness always seemed to be in an upbeat mood, she would never know. However, as a smile began to appear on her own face, she had to admit that it certainly was contagious.

"I think the library is somewhere around here," Ember said, glancing around at their surroundings. "It wasn't near the park, that much I remember, so there shouldn't be any roadblocks keeping us from getting there."

Cynder watched as Ember began to go down a road. It was so odd at how she seemed to adapt so well to this new world. True, she came from a more technologically advanced world, but even then she would think that these new surroundings would be reason to proceed with caution. Cynder paused, looking down at the ground. Maybe the war from her world had just made her overly cautious?

She shook her head. It was actually a rather odd feeling now that she thought of it, being in a world that _wasn't_ torn by war. Maybe she should be grateful for this short reprieve. Having gone through the baseline war so many times, she had managed to desensitize herself to it. Though, having managed to escape _that_ part of the baseline, it still didn't make dealing with the eventual clean-up any easier. They could never seem to get to _that_ dragon in time to deal with him sooner before the loop reset. Maybe fate demanded that was how things were supposed to go, to make up for everything she'd done in the baseline.

Even after learning the truth about why their world was looping, she still couldn't help but feel like it was punishing her. Cynder glanced upward. If that were true, though, why would she be in this peaceful world right now? Why wasn't she being forced to make her escape from the Well of Souls like the start of every loop?

It was then she blinked. It had never really occurred to her before, but...she wasn't captured by the apes in this loop. As such, she didn't need to escape. It seemed blatantly obvious, but there was one fact that had never really occurred to her.

There was no 'Terror of the Skies' in this loop. Nor was there in the loops she managed to escape the Well of Souls.

Cynder stared blankly down to the ground, on odd sense of joy and anxiety washing over her. She wasn't known for the sins she had committed in this world, because they never happened. As such, no one hated her for something she couldn't have controlled. Deep down, part of her wanted to start jumping for joy, and yet...another part of her still felt guilty. Even if she hadn't done anything wrong in this loop, would it be disrespectful to all those she'd wronged in the baseline if she were to attempt live a normal life for one loop, completely guilt-free after what she had done?

She shook her head. If Spyro were here, he'd probably say—

Cynder's train of thought was interrupted as a shrill shriek pierced the air. She raised her head, eyes wide as she realized that Ember was nowhere to be seen. Without a moment's hesitation, she took to the air and began to scan the area.

Ember trembled as she backed up against a wall. Why, why, _why_ did she have to take this path? Holding onto her necklace tightly with both paws, she gulped as a hooded figure holding a knife slowly drew closer.

"Alright, cutie. Just hand over the necklace and no one gets hurt!"

Ember began to shake more violently as the hooded figure drew closer. "Please, just leave me alone! This necklace was a gift from my parents!"

"Sorry, lady, but I get the feeling that a gem like that would fetch quite the pretty penny."

Ember clutched her necklace even tighter as the figure kept getting closer. As he lunged at her, Ember closed her eyes and let out a shriek.

However, the knife-wielding criminal never reached his target. Instead, he let out a holler of pain as he was slashed across the chest, his robe tearing open and a large gash staining his fur crimson. Ember dared to open her eyes and was instantly grateful for the sight before her.

Cynder stood between the would-be mugger and Ember, glaring sharply at the knife-wielding nut as she took a battle stance.

"Leave," she said coldly, hunkering down with a scowl on her face. _"_ _Now._ _"_

The would-be mugger wasn't impressed. Brandishing his knife, he held his paw over his wound. "Out of the way, lady. This is none of your business."

Cynder narrowed her eyes. "You _made_ it my business when you attempted to rob my sister. Now, I will tell you again. If you don't want to be torn limb from limb, I'd suggest heeding my first warning."

The mugger scoffed. "Oh? And exactly how do you expect to do _that?_ "

_'Wrong answer.'_

Before the mugger knew what hit him, he was slammed in the chest by a head-smash and sent sliding back. Cynder stood before him with a scowl on her face. The mugger growled, picking up his knife as he held it in front of him.

"Alright, you little bitch, you asked for it!"

Cynder watched as the mugger charged at her knife first. Dodging easily, she retorted with a claw slash across the mugger's stomach. The mugger staggered back, but before he could recover, he was smacked across the face with a tail strike and a gust of wind sent him tumbling back, the knife falling onto the ground and sliding a ways away.

The mugger grabbed his head as he picked himself up. He went to go for his knife, but was blocked when Cynder stepped in front of him. Narrowing her eyes, she scowled.

"I will say it again," Cynder said in a cold tone. " _Leave._ "

The mugger gulped before he got to his feet and ran. Cynder kept a close eye on him until she was sure he wouldn't be turning around for a sneak attack as soon as she turned her back. Once she felt like things were once again safe, she turned to Ember.

"You al— _?_ _!_ " Cynder began, but was cut off when Ember ran towards her and threw her forelegs around her.

Ember was shaking badly from the ordeal as she rested her head on Cynder's shoulder. Mentally, Cynder froze for a few seconds. Awkwardly, she patted Ember on the back.

"Uh, it's...it's okay now. You're safe..." Cynder said, glancing upwards.

"Thank you..." Ember muttered, still holding on tightly as she tried her best to hold herself together.

Cynder paused before she closed her eyes and put one foreleg around Ember. She could worry about the morality of how she should handle loops where the Terror of the Skies never happened later. For this loop, at the very least, she could attempt to be a good sister.

* * *

"Did you get to see the hooded figure's face?"

"No," Cynder said, her expression going flat. "He _was_ wearing a hood, after all."

"Now, now. There's no need to get snippy," the dragon officer stated, looking down at the dragoness. "I know that was a frightening experience and all, having to fight him off, but _we're_ only here to help."

"Oh, I wasn't frightened, though," Cynder said, a slightly condescending tone in her voice. "To be perfectly honest, he was rather bad at mugging."

The officer's expression flattened at the slight grin on Cynder's face. Regardless, he shook it off.

"Well, I'm not sure if we'll turn up anything, considering we don't have much to go on, but we'll be on the look out," the officer said before he turned around and walked off.

Cynder said nothing. From what she had seen of the law enforcement of this world so far, she likely had a better chance of catching this guy herself. Regardless, she shook it off. The Spyros were counting on her to get that book, so she didn't have much time to go around and deliver some vigilante justice. Turning around, she looked at Ember. Ember was still shaking slightly, taking deep breaths as she held on to her necklace. Cynder's expression softened.

"You sure you're going to be alright?"

"H-huh?" Ember asked, raising her head. Nervously, she glanced back down. "Oh, y...yeah..."

Cynder frowned, walking over to Ember and placing a paw on her back. Ember forced a smile, though it didn't fool Cynder. Making sure to keep close by her, they went back to their search for the library.

* * *

Of all foods that Legend had encountered so far, this dish proved to be the most difficult. His mother had called him and his brother to the table for what she called "beef noodle soup." Pieces of meat, vegetables, and what appeared to be very thin ribbons of entrails, floated within a flavored liquid of some sort. At least, Legend thought it would be flavored, though he couldn't tell because he singed his tongue trying to get a taste. Classic and Nina stared at this display, one exhausted by his brother's aversion to silverware, the other concerned about her son's burns.

"Spyro, be helpful and show your brother how to use the spoon I gave him."

With that, Classic found an opportunity to gross out his brother. Snickering as he did so, he shifted one of his claws into a thumb position and, at that, Legend was too revolted to look away.

"You hold it like this and then you dip the spoon into the soup." Classic returned the filled utensil in front of his mouth. "You blow to cool it down, and then you can drink it."

After this short tutorial, Classic noticed a good-looking piece of meat suspended in the mixture, and another wicked thought crossed his mind. He put down his spoon in favor of chopsticks, and made sure to showcase his skill with the utensils by picking out the morsel, rolling in a bunch of rice noodles as well. Legend could barely fathom how this...abomination was possible, and had almost resolved to thoroughly eradicate every piece of cutlery in existence had an expectant glare from his mother not discouraged him from doing so.

"Go on, follow your brother's example, unless you want to burn your face again."

Legend could not dispute this. He slowly flipped the direction of his claw, trying to hold in his lunch as he did so, and successfully found the correct grip on his spoon. Lowering it to his soup, he managed to snag some meat as well as some of the 'entrails.' Exhaling a defeated sigh, he cooled the liquid down to tolerable temperature and inserted the broth into his mouth. When he did, Legend savored his first sizable cut of meat ever since the loop had started, but he encountered an unexpected flavor from the entrails. They didn't possess the flavor of intestines at all, they tasted of...bread?!

_'What the heck is it with dragons and bread in this loop?'_

Classic could barely suppress his laughter at his brother's plight, and managed to catch the evil eye from Legend. At that, Legend decided that a small dose of revenge would be in order. _'Just you wait, brother. You'll get yours, soon enough...'_

* * *

Cynder couldn't help but wonder if leaving the house would always be so eventful in this world. If it wasn't her mate getting into an argument with himself from another universe and snapping into his dark form, it was her loop sister nearly getting mugged by the worst mugger on the planet. She glanced over, Ember walking close by her side as she kept her head low. Cynder frowned softly. It was such a drastic change from how she had been this morning. Looking forward, she frowned. If she ever got her claws on that mugger again...

Cynder sighed, shaking her head. There was no use focusing on that subject. That mugger was likely long gone by now. She glanced over to the medical spellbooks in the satchel the library had provided for her. The library had a decent collection of them, and she wasn't sure what the other Spyro's level of skill was when it came to magic. As such, she decided to get a few of varying skill level just in case.

"We're here." Ember's voice was barely a sigh.

Cynder glanced over to her with a concerned look, placing a wing over her before she looked over to the house the Spyros were in. The other Spyro didn't want their loop parents finding out about this, so she needed a way to get in without being spotted. A simple task with the use of her shadow element, but...

Cynder looked at Ember again. "I need to sneak inside there because your Spyro doesn't want their parents finding out about this. Will you be okay by yourself for a few seconds?"

"U-uh..." Ember said, looking down at the ground. "M-maybe, if I stay close to the house."

Cynder frowned. She didn't exactly like idea of leaving her behind, but she didn't have much of a choice. Taking one last glance to make sure no one was sneaking up on them, Cynder dived into the nearby bushes and began to crawl out of sight. Once she was sure Ember couldn't see her, she dove into her shadow and began to make her way into the house through the windows.

* * *

Legend wasn't sure how he had managed to keep his meal down after that display. If he ever saw another piece of silverware again, it'd be too soon. Legend sighed. Didn't help that his brother kept getting a kick out of him having to force down his meal while trying _not_ to pay attention to the unnatural position he had his claws in. He shook his head. At the very least, Nina forcing his brother to help with the dishes as further punishment for yesterday had given him some time to think of a way to get revenge.

Turning the corner and entering his room, he paused. Cynder smiled at him.

"Hey," she said, setting the satchel of books down.

Legend smiled, walking up to her. "Hey."

"Brought the books your counterpart wanted. Wasn't sure how good with magic he was, so I got a bunch," Cynder said, motioning to the books. "Hope he isn't driving you _too_ crazy here."

Legend chuckled. "Actually, despite everything that happened yesterday, he actually isn't all that bad. There's _some_ poking and prodding, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday." Legend smiled. "So, how's your day been?"

"Oh, nothing too much. Saved Ember from a mugger while we were heading to the library; nothing I couldn't really handle."

"What? Are you alright?" Legend asked, his eyes going wide.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Ember's still a bit shaken up from it, though..." Cynder said, glancing back. "I should probably be getting back to her. Hopefully it won't always be an experience when we have to go outside," she joked as she turned to walk away.

"Hold on," Legend said, getting up to follow her. "Are you sure you can't stay for a bit longer?"

"Sorry, Spyro," Cynder said, turning around towards him. "I know we haven't gotten to spend much time together this loop, but Ember needs me. I don't know why, but I think part of me likes having a little sister to look out for."

Seeing Legend frown, Cynder got closer to him. She smiled. "Don't worry. The next loop we're in where we have some free time like this, I promise we'll spend it together."

At this, Legend smiled. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against Cynder's. It was a brief kiss, but one that they both savored. Once it was done, they leant their foreheads against each other with a smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, as much as she would have enjoyed staying like that, Cynder eventually broke from the pose and disappeared into her shadow. Watching her go out the window, Legend smiled. He turned around to head towards his bed. It was only then that he noticed the figure standing by the door.

Classic stood frozen, his face in the biggest scowl he had ever managed to pull. His eyes opened wide, his pupils shrinking to an unnatural size as he tried to process what he had just seen. Seeing his state of distress, Legend blinked.

"...What?"

Not a second later, a shriek of horror echoed throughout the block.

* * *

"Once I'm done finding a spell for third-degree burns, I'm gonna find a cure for third-degree love sickness," Classic spat as he paged through _Drake's Anatomy_.

As Classic focused on his search with an annoyed scowl, Legend had a mind to slap his annoying twin across the face. How dare he scorn his relationship with Cynder! Legend was just about ready to raise his paw, while Classic was snout-deep in his reading, but he paused. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know enough about his counterpart when it came to delivering proper retribution. So far, his disdain for love was the only thing he knew about him so far that he disliked...

A devious grin appeared on Legend's face. It was time to give Classic a taste of his own medicine.

"Actually, I don't think that'll be necessary."

Classic glanced up at this. "Oh?"

"Yup," Legend said, walking over to him with a devious smile. "Love sure is grand. Did you know that there are over twenty methods of kissing?"

Legend's question came all the way from left field for the celibate purple dragon. After what he had put Legend through at lunch, now it was Classic's turn to try to refrain from upchucking. Trying his best to keep a straight face, he focused his attention more on the book he was reading. "Th-that's... _nice_."

Wanting to prod his brother even more, Legend put on a wistful expression. "But there's far more to love than just kissing, you know. There are pet-nicknames too, like Honey-bun..."

Classic narrowed his eyes, lowering his head closer to the book as he flipped through pages with more vigor.

"Smoochie-poo..."

Classic growled, bringing his head down closer as he began flipping through the pages faster than any being could possibly read. With an air of smugness, Legend smirked, ready to finish Classic off with the most despicable name that he could muster.

"Wubbykins..."

Finally, Classic couldn't take it anymore as he placed his claws over his ears. _"NOPENOPENOPENOPE! Can't hear you! NOPENOPENOPENOPE!"_

Legend began to bust up laughing. _'I think I'm beginning to understand why my brother loves poking and prodding so much!'_

Classic growled, trying his best to block out his brother as he began reading through the pages reasonably again. _Finally_ finding suitable enchantments for both he and his brother, he sighed, hoping he could quickly change the subject. Fighting the urge to push his brother off his bed, Classic overlaid his magic sense on his sight and installed three spells from the tome archive before him: two for his and his brother's specific injuries, and an all-purpose first-aid enchantment, in case of emergency.

He planned to remove the former once they did their job, but he would keep the latter. After all that had happened so far, it couldn't hurt to prepare for the future. All this went through Classic's mind as he continuously declined his brother's irritating love nicknames. "OK, shut your face! I've got a burn heal spell for ya."

Legend complied, and felt his damaged skin and scales begin to undergo a metamorphosis. A brief glow shined from within Legend's body, reforming his discolored, sensitive scales back to their polished, healthy state. At this, Legend felt a great burden lift from his back, and he was about to jump off the bed and walk right out the front door when his brother stopped him.

"Wait! The instructions said that you have to avoid physical activity for a few hours so your body can get accustomed to the sudden appearance of new tissue, whatever that means. I take it that bad things will happen if you don't."

"Oh, fine then. What about your spell? Do you have to rest as well?"

"Yeah. Lucky me, huh?" Classic sighed as he applied the gash-healing spell to himself, the magic filling the scar tissue under his bandages. "I guess we can still play Dyson while we're healing." A smirk appeared on his face. "Oh, by the way, we're having leftovers from today's soup for dinner, so make sure to bring something to barf in."

A curt smile found its way onto Classic's face, and Legend's victory was dashed. Legend may have turned his brother's tactics against him, but he still had much to learn in the ancient and mystical art of trolling.

* * *

"Flash! Come here for a second."

Nina's husband had just arrived from work, and with a slight tone of frustration, he asked, "What?"

"Try calling. The number you put in doesn't matter."

A call was made, and an answering machine was heard. Slightly confused, Flash picked out the Artisan language out of the options that were given, and he was perplexed to hear the machine list its options repeatedly.

"Does this happen with every phone number you call?"

With a nod, Nina confirmed this. "I tried to call the hospital yesterday, but the same thing happened."

Flash's eyes bugged out at this. What if they couldn't call 911 because of this malfunction? "We'll have to call the company to fix this. I'll visit our neighbors to see if we can borrow their phone for a bit."

He plodded out the front door, leaving Nina to reminisce on the events of the last couple of days. _'Just our luck. Three disasters in two days, and all this is happening a few days before Elora comes to visit. The worst part will be when she sees our sons. She'll be so heart-broken, the poor soul. She would have taken them out for a treat or on an adventure, but now... I guess college is the only thing she'll have to look forward to.'_

She stopped her preoccupied thoughts when she heard yelling and arguing from upstairs. Nothing lasts forever, and it was inevitable that her sons would start their sibling rivalry again. Nina wasn't even surprised that it had resumed so quickly after what had happened yesterday. As long as they didn't start roughhousing, she decided to let the Spyros bicker.

Maybe Flash was right. They should be old enough to deal with their own problems, especially the ones that they caused for each other. Of course, that didn't mean that she couldn't make sure of that. Yes, this was Nina's new resolution. If they could solve their own problems, then they should have no issue over her listening to their arguments, just to make sure they never escalated. You can never be too safe, right? Her sons didn't lie to her about what happened yesterday, _right?_

It was decided. Nina walked up the stairs, expecting that she could simply stand outside the door and eavesdrop on her sons' banter. She would have no such luck, however, when the Spyros got up and walked out of their room. Nina saved face and opened the hallway closet, making it appear that she was simply putting away clothes. Once they had disappeared from sight, Nina heard music and sound effects reverberating from the living room. _'Playing more video games? I would tell them to do something else, but it's a very convenient distraction at the moment.'_

Even though her opportunity to hear it straight from the horse's mouth was dashed, Nina could still investigate the bedroom for any leads. It would have been a rather cunning plan had Classic neglected to put the collection of medical tomes in his subspace. Instead of finding evidence, she found nothing. On top of that, now that her sons were playing those games, their conversation wouldn't be very informative. _'I just have a feeling. Something doesn't add up. That nightmare Spyro had proves that they're trying to hide something from me, but what could it be?'_

A creak was heard from the front door, and Nina was interrupted in her investigation. She briskly descended from the second floor and greeted Flash while he was closing the door.

"So? Did you call the phone company?"

"Yeah, they said that they would send one of their magicians over to check it out. Said it wouldn't take long. So, what's for dinner?"

"Beef noodle soup."

As Legend attempted to beat the boss without his brother's help, he felt a sudden chill in his scales.

* * *

Dinner had been awkwardly silent for Cynder. Ember had barely touched her food, and their loop mother had been spouting worry and concern all throughout dinner after she had told her what had happened. Even when Cynder had assured her she was fine, and that Ember was the one who was most shaken up from it, their mother still treated her with as much concern as she did for Ember.

It was an odd feeling, having a parent who cared for you.

Cynder looked up at the ceiling as she laid in her bed. It was rather unconventional for dragons of her world to sleep in beds, but so was a lot of the things dragons did in this world. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. In baseline, she never knew who her family was. Even when the war was over, her parents never came forward to confront her. Maybe they were trying, but couldn't find her before the loops started up? Or maybe they had died in the war? Or maybe, after everything she had done in the baseline, they had more or less disowned her...?

Cynder sighed. _'I wouldn't be surprised...'_

Cynder rolled to her side. Maybe that was why she was so protective of her loop family. Even if they technically weren't family, they showed her what it was like to be part of one. Even Ember, another looper who was aware they weren't really related, had been more than willing to treat her like a sister with open paws.

Cynder closed her eyes. She had never seen a dragon with such innocent naivety before. Having come from a world of war, it was actually a nice change to see someone who was so innocent, who viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses instead of jaded. It was both a blessing and a curse. Ember may live a happier life than most, but it left her open to what had happened to her today. It was some rather cruel irony. When you believe the best in people, it hurts all the more when they betray you.

...

 _'I should probably check on her,'_ Cynder thought, raising up and getting ready to jump out of her bed. She paused, however, she heard her door start to creak.

Raising her head, she saw Ember peering in from behind the door. Her head was held low as she stared at Cynder and entered the room. Cynder raised an eyebrow.

"Ember? You alright?"

"Uh... I...I don't really know anymore..."

Ember shuffled around nervously as she sat down. She glanced up, looking at Cynder with a slightly blank expression.

"Cynder?" she asked, her eyes darting downward.

"Yeah...?"

"You...you know how to fight, right?"

At this, Cynder looked at Ember curiously. "Yeah... Why?"

Ember glanced down, fiddling with her claws on the floor as she paused. An awkward air filled the room as Cynder waited for a response. Finally, Ember glanced up just enough to make eye contact with Cynder.

"Can you...teach me?"

Cynder blinked. Ember looked up with a slight determined glint in her eyes. "Can you please teach me how to fight?"

Cynder watched as the pink dragoness walked up and place her forepaws on her bed. Ember had a soft frown on her face, her eyes pleading under the determined glint. Cynder blinked, backing up slightly as she stared at Ember with eyes wide in confusion. Once the shock had worn off, Cynder leant back into her normal sitting position.

"Ember... This has to do with what happened today, doesn't it?"

Ember glanced down slightly. "Kind of..." she said before she looked back up at Cynder. "I was reading through that book Ihy gave us, and it said how the loops won't always be the same. I didn't think much of it, but after today..."

Cynder raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want me to teach you? Haven't you tried learning this in your own world?"

"Once, but..." Ember said, glancing down, "the only one who knows proper self-defence arts in my world, Sensei Ragnar, is really picky about who he'll train. He even refused to teach my world's Spyro at first, so it's pretty obvious what his response was when I asked him to train me."

Ember looked up at Cynder before she sighed. "Besides, up until now, I didn't think I'd need to learn how to. The biggest variation I had to deal with so far was the loop where I replaced my Spyro in his first three adventures. I managed to get through that somehow, even though I had to rely on everyone else's help during the end there, and with how the loop resets everything back to a certain date, I thought I could handle whatever it could throw at me."

Grabbing her necklace, Ember glanced down. "But after today... I don't know anymore. If ending up in different worlds is a common possibility, what if I end up in an even more dangerous world? A world where everything is out to get me, or danger is around every single corner? I—I'm just..." Ember sighed, closing her eyes, "...scared."

Cynder watched as Ember lowered her head onto her bed. Her gaze softened. As much as she wanted to help her loop sister, she couldn't help but glance away. She had never been asked to teach someone before, and wasn't sure if she _could_ properly teach someone to fight. All the skills she had learned were either self-taught or brought on by dark magic. She never had a proper teacher when it came to fighting.

And yet, Ember's reasoning was sound. Though for her, this was the biggest loop variation so far, what was to stop the Powers That Be from throwing her into a world she couldn't handle? The ancestors only knew how well things might go if Ember ended up in Cynder's world for a loop.

The thought caused Cynder to cringe. She hadn't even thought about that while she was in this world. What if Ember had looped in to a loop where she wasn't awake? Where the Terror of the Skies was still a threat? She would be completely defenceless and at the mercy of the evil she couldn't control...

Cynder shook her head. She wasn't about to let that happen to her sister. "Alright. I'll train you, but you have to promise me this."

Ember raised her head, Cynder looking her straight in the eyes.

"Promise me you'll only ever use what I teach you to defend yourself, and if you're ever in danger, always try to get away from it first if you can, instead of fighting it."

Ember perked up slightly. With a soft smile, she nodded. "I promise."

"Good," Cynder said, laying down on her bed. "We'll start tomorrow morning."

As Cynder laid down in her bed, she was caught off guard when a pair of paws pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you."

Though her smile was a bit uncomfortable, Cynder tapped her paw on one of Ember's forelegs to return the gesture. As Ember let go and started to exit the room, Cynder glanced her way. A soft smile appeared on her face. Having a sister was a bit odd, but she had to admit, she was enjoying having Ember as one too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have it. Slowly but surely, the Spyros are warming up to each other. Poor Ember, though. At least this happened in a loop where she had someone who could quickly help her. I feel like it may seem odd to some how quickly Cynder warmed up to her, but it's as it was written in this chapter. Cynder's never had a family before. At least Legend Spyro had his adopted dragonfly parents and Sparx. Not only did she not even have that, she also had to put up with people hating her in the baseline because of the 'Terror of the Skies' incident. It's not too far-fetched to think she would become really protective of the few people who treat her like friend or family member or managed to get past the shell she put around herself or...something deep and...psychological like that. /shot
> 
> Anyways, something I derped and forgot about last chapter. I wanted to answer some common questions that have been popping up about this story. There's not too many, but they're frequent enough to warrant an official response in the fic. So let's get started, shall we?
> 
> 1: "Will the Spyros eventually replace each other in their worlds for a loop?": I'd like to tease and be as ambiguous as possible about this but... Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's obligatory in a fic like this. :P Whether or not it'll be anytime soon... We'll just have to wait and see.
> 
> 2: "Will the current story arc go into some episodic shenanigans for a bit?": Yes, but for only like two or three chapters. Reason being is because, while we do plan on this becoming serious again, thrusting the characters into another serious part of the story while they're still getting use to each other would be a bit... I dunno, it feels a bit too quick to me. Besides, I originally intended this part to be a bunch of comedic snips where the characters try to adjust to each other anyways. Believe it or not, the Classic Spyro VS Legend Spyro fight wasn't planned from the start. It just kind of happened as we wrote. That said, this arc will take a more serious and action tone like the Spyro fight, but exactly what causes that... Well, that's a secret for now. ;P
> 
> 3: "...Why ponies? I mean, seriously? :/": Well, there are actually several reasons for this. Quite possibly the number one reason is, while Innortal started the Infinite Loops, Saphroneth's FiM loops were more or less what 'codified' the Infinite Loops as a whole. In fact, if it weren't for him, the Spyro loops and several other loops fics might not even exist. Combine that with the fact that the FiM loops are the only 'canon' 'sanctuary loop' [i.e. a loop where the loopers help visiting loopers with their problems as well as help them unwind and relax]... Yeah, with how their baseline goes, Legend Spyro and Cynder could use a break.
> 
> There's also the fact that, from the stuff I've written so far, the Classic characters just work with FiM characters. Their personalities bounce off each other rather well, and not in the 'gah, ponies' way. A lot of rather interesting and humorous scenarios have already popped up from it, and it just...I don't know. I really can't say anything else other than it just works, for whatever reason.
> 
> I didn't really think it was anything too big considering, from what I've seen, a lot of Spyro fans seem to be FiM fans too. That said, I realize that not everyone likes FiM, so I am going to try and tone it down when I can but...yeah. I still have a lot of ideas with that, so...
> 
> 4: "Will there be any future story arcs?": Possibly. I have some ideas for a Halloween arc, but I'd like to see the reception this arc gets when it's complete before I decide. [So far it's been pretty positive, though, surprisingly.]
> 
> 5: "Will there be Classic/Legend versions of characters that don't have Classic/Legend counterparts in 'canon'?": I suppose it really goes without saying, but we're mostly trying to stick to 'canon' outside of stuff like this. Unless, by some stroke of luck, another Classic/Legend series game is made that includes more Classic/Legend characters like a Classic version of Cynder in it, THEN we'll try to figure out how to incorporate stuff like that in. Until then though, we're mostly going to be sticking to established characters.
> 
> ...And that's pretty much it for now. I'll likely do another one of these Q&A things in the future when more questions pop up, but for now those are the most frequent questions I tend to get at the moment.
> 
> Now then, will the Spyros be able to keep their secret while getting used to each other? How will Ember handle learning to fight? And what of Hunter and Sparx? Find out next time!
> 
> Remember to leave review because it really helps us out. We like to know what you enjoyed and what we can improve on!


	13. A day for answers (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx)
> 
> (Fused loop 1.1 continued) (Feats: TokoWH, UkeleleNarwhal, and AbZHz101)

Ihy groaned. Once again, Legend Sparx had decided to grace the apartment with his presence, and once again he more or less demanded the TV be turned on.

And once again, the small yellow dragonfly was proceeding to get on the admin's nerves.

" _Come on! Come! Go, go, go!_ " Sparx chanted, watching as one of the dragons on TV ran down a giant fielding holding on odd cylinder shaped thing in his paws while several dragons chased after him. As the dragon jumped towards the end of the field and slammed the ball on the ground, Sparx raised his hands in the air. _"Yeah! Touchdown! Wooh!"_

The dragonfly quickly paused, before turning to Ihy. "... that's a good thing, right?"

Ihy let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Hunter!"

"Yeah, yeah. You know, you wouldn't have to deal with this if you were, ya' know, actually doing you're job." Hunter teased, before he went over to one of the chairs in front of the TV and sat down.

As Hunter began explaining the more finer details of football to Legend Sparx, Ihy sighed in relief. So far, this loop seemed to be running rather smoothly, and despite Legend Sparx' attempt at annoying him to death, that meant he could continue to enjoy what little of this break he had left. As he began typing on his laptop however, the screen promptly froze for a split second, as static flickered a crossed the screen.

Ihy raised an eyebrow, getting up to check the screen. Not a second later, his web browser was brought up, as he noticed he had an email. Clicking on it, he was brought to an almost blank page, the only thing notable about it we're the written words on it.

"'Sup moron? Have to say, using a spork to bypass the failsafe to keep non-loopers from accidentally being written out was some interesting MacGyvering. You have me curious now about who this non-looper is, if he's considered so dangerous that you'd rather risk perminately erasing him instead of dumping him in another universe with uber loopers in it.

How about we play game, then? I kind of want to see this guy in action so I took the liberty of "reintroducing" him into the Loop. Only had to tweak one Ancient Civi to do it too! :P Don't worry, it only changed like one or two things in the present, and you've gotta love that high conviction rate! Not only that, but I get a new fav program out of the deal too! I wonder if they would have stayed stable had they been a different species? But then again, had they gone preemptively nuts you might have noticed and the game would have been over before it even began! But hey, I believe in fair play, so I got the bad boy sealed up in a spork somewhere in here. If you can find it, then I guess you win.

PS: I've also disabled your ability to teleport to Yggdrasil for the time being so you can't just rewrite him out of the loop. After all, where'd the fun in that be? :D

\- The thrid son of Cythulu; Zog-Ommog."

Ihy felt his left eye begin to twitch. Immediately, he began to bring up the teleportor function on his laptop. As soon as he attempted to teleport back to his terminal, he was instead met with a fart sound ringing from his laptops speakers. Ihy looked over to Hunter and Sparx, the two of them looking at him with wide eyes.

"... that wasn't me, if that's what you're thinking." Ihy said, before focusing back on his laptop.

'This is bad! Of all the times they decided to crawl out of their hole, it HAD to be when I was already on watch for what did before both Dragon Realms started looping!'

Ihy thought, a scowl on his face as he began furiously tapping away at his keyboard. _'If the other admins found out about this, I can kiss my adminhood goodbye!'_

"... you okay?"

"Hm?" Ihy muttered, looking up to see Hunter looking at him. "Oh! Yeah, sure, sure. Everything is perfectly fine! No need to worry!"

Ihy gave a phony toothy smile, prompting Hunter and Sparx to look at each other with raised eyes. As the two went back to their ramblings, Ihy took a deep breath.

'Okay, stay calm. At least it seems like I got a more forgiving rogue here...'

Ihy thought, now typing away at his keyboard slower. _'If did what I think he did and wrote Malefor back into the loop, albeit sealed in a...'_ Ihy paused, his face going blank. _'... **spork...** All I need to do is find it and keep it hidden for the rest of the loop. Should be simple enough, and I won't have to worry about the other admins ragging on me in what was suppose to be a peaceful variant.'_

With that, Ihy grabbed his beer can and took a snip. The game of drunken cat and mouse had began...

* * *

The air was far too cold in this 'hospital' for Legend's liking. Sitting awkwardly in his chair as he looked around nervously, he glanced over to his counterpart, slowly leaning over to him while their mother was talking with the doctor.

"Are you sure this was a good idea? Maybe we should have tried to delay this a bit longer..." Legend whispered, keeping an eye on their loop mother in case she turned back towards them.

"Relax. Now that I healed our wounds, the doctors won't suspect anything else major," Classic whispered back, glancing over to his counterpart. "Besides, we couldn't delay this for too long, anyways. If I messed with the phone lines again after this world's magicians fixed it, Mom would know something's up."

Legend sat back in his chair as he turned his attention back to their loop mother. It was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this kind of worry. Legend watched as Nina stared at the doctor in disbelief, said doctor merely adjusting his glasses calmly.

"I'm telling you, you merely overreacted. From the tests that I've run, your boys are perfectly fine. Any wounds we found on them will heal naturally in only a matter of days."

"B-but...!" Nina protested, glancing back towards her children before looking back at the doctor. "You didn't see them when they first returned home! They looked like they had been mauled by a monster!"

Legend flinched. The doctor shook his head before he shrugged. He had seen Nina's type before. The overprotective mother who thinks their child is going to bleed to death from a paper cut. Those kinds of dragons were _always_ fun to deal with...

"I don't know what to tell you, then. _If_ they _were_ as bad as you're making it out to be, then the only explanation I could come up with is that their wounds were healed magically."

Legend flinched again, but a quick glare from Classic was enough for him to reinstate his poker face. Classic managed to keep his cool rather well. Even if the doctor was smart enough to correctly guess that, there was no way he could prove it.

 _'...That would explain why they don't have their scars anymore,'_ Nina thought, her once again paranoid mind kicking into overdrive. If she could prove that, then she could prove to Flash they were hiding something, and she could finally get the real story out of them. Looking at the doctor with innocent eyes that managed to hide the deceit behind them, she put her plan into motion.

"Well then, isn't there any test you can do to check if magic was involved?"

"Well...there is, but it's a fair bit pricey."

At this, Legend nearly jumped out of his seat as he began to sweat bullets. He looked over to his counterpart, who was gritting his teeth, his eyes wide. Once again letting loose a string of profanities in his mind, Classic's mind went into overdrive as he tried to think of a way to save both their hides. As much as he didn't like it, him and his counterpart might need to spend the rest of the loop halfway across the realm after all.

Nina raised an eyebrow. "How pricey are we talking?"

"Well..." the doctor said, adjusting his glasses. "Around one hundred and fifty thousand gems."

 _"_ _One hundred and fifty thousand gems!?_ _"_ Nina exclaimed, nearly falling back onto the floor as her eyes went wide. "Th-that— _you have to be joking!_ "

"Well, give or take," the doctor said, his glasses having an unnatural shine to them. "Magical residue from healing spells is incredibly hard to detect even for the most advanced of machinery. It would take multiple tests and requesting a few specialists before we get anything even resembling a positive," the doctor said, readjusting his glasses once again. "...And, again, the sum I gave is just an estimate."

Nina's jaw dropped as her eyes stayed wide open. Finally, she shook her head. As much as she wanted to prove something was up, it was _not_ worth breaking her bank account to do it. Besides, her babies would be alright regardless. For now, she could at least find solace in that fact.

"Well, thank you for your _help,_ anyway," Nina said, turning back towards her children. "But I think being able to pay our bills and groceries comes first."

Classic breathed a sigh of relief as Legend nearly fainted in his chair. Never once had Classic thought he would ever be thankful for overblown doctor bills.

* * *

Nina grew discouraged from the hospital visit. As she and her pair of sons journeyed back home, her theories began to fall flat. Without any evidence, she couldn't interrogate her children with a clear conscience. Currently, nearly all the evidence pointed against her ideas, and she decided that, until she could find irrefutable proof that her sons were lying, she would have to let go of the issue.

Classic and Legend were unsettled by their mother's silence. Ever since the appointment, she hadn't spoken a word. Classic stayed by her side, while Legend stepped ahead of Nina and expressed his concern. "Mom, are you OK?"

She snapped out of her ruminations and responded with a faked smile. "Of course, sweetie. I was just thinking, is all." As she responded, Nina noticed that her sons were more agile than the day before yesterday. Perhaps their injuries weren't as severe as she'd thought.

Classic spotted the familiar building in the distance; they were almost home, and once again he would be confined to his room. He didn't resent this at first, but this was going to be a problem. Legend may have dodged a nightmare last night, but it wasn't guaranteed that playing video games would always work. If all that he had ever experienced was war, then Classic had to make this loop one that his brother would remember. To do that, they had to get out of the house.

"Um... Mom?"

Nina turned her attention to her bandaged son. "Yes, Spyro?"

"Since the doctor said that our injuries weren't that bad, could my brother and I go to the library?"

At this, Nina frowned. They had just come back from the hospital, and now her children wanted to go somewhere else? "I don't know, after everything that happened these past few days... On top of that, you're still grounded."

Realizing that his brother was trying to circumvent the punishment that should have been his, Legend rushed in to help. "I'll stay by his side to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. But the library is a safe place, isn't it?"

Nina contemplated this. One half urged her to never let these two out of her sight again, and the other half reasoned that she had overreacted, especially when she'd mummified one of her sons in bandages. She struggled to make a decision until Classic made a final plea.

"Please, Mom? I promise I'll be good. We can do some errands for you too, if you need it." As Classic said this, he focused his honed charms of cuteness, developed from the countless loops where he had parents to deal with.

It was a merciless display and Nina finally gave in. Besides, there wasn't much in the refrigerator the last time she'd checked. "Oh... fine. When we get back home, I'll give you two a grocery list, and when you're done reading books, I need you to do the shopping. Stick together this time, and if anything happens, you'll both be grounded until the end of time. Understand?"

"Yes, Mom," both Spyros answered.

With that, Classic began to organize his itinerary for the day. By the end of this loop, Legend would relearn what it meant to be a kid.

* * *

There were many challenges Classic had learned to overcome during the baseline, and even a bit into the loops. Some of them physical, some of them mental, but all of them so far paled in comparison to that of trying to get his best friends in a ten mile radius of his loop brother after how he'd leveled the park a few days ago and nearly killed them in a dark-form-fueled rage. He glanced over to his loop brother, who was holding his head low, before glancing over to Hunter and Sparx. They were a good distance away from them, hiding behind a skate ramp while glaring at Legend. Classic face-palmed.

"Don't worry." Classic sighed, shaking his head. "I'll go talk to them."

With that, Classic began to walk up to his paranoid friends as Legend awkwardly looked around the 'skate park' they were in. As soon as Classic got in earshot, Hunter was there to give him an earful.

"Spyro, bro," Hunter said, glancing down at the dragon. "You know that I'm more than willing to follow you on whatever crazy idea you've cooked up, looping or baseline, but... _have you lost your mind!?_ " Hunter exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air.

"Hunter."

"I mean, that's the same dragon that a few days ago tried to rip us limb from limb!"

"Hunter..."

"For Pete's sake, Spyro! If it was a non-looping Ripto or Gnasty and it was for some elaborate prank, _then_ maybe I'd go through with it, considering how easily you can kick their butts! But this dragon is more or less your looping evil counterpart! Spyro, you have to admit—"

 _"Hunter!"_ Classic finally interrupted Hunter's paranoid ramblings as he caused the cheetah to jump. He shook his head and sighed.

"Listen, I've been hanging out with him for the past few days. He's honestly _not_ a bad dragon," Classic said, looking up at his friends. "He just comes from a world of war. That whole 'uber evil side' thing was the result of said world, and only pops up when he's pushed over the edge."

Classic sighed again and looked down. "And, considering how much of a jerk I was to him when we first met, which _resulted_ in him being pushed into that form, I'm just as much at fault for what happened at the park, too."

Despite his reassurance, Sparx narrowed his eyes as he placed a hand on his chin. "I don't know..."

"C'mon on, guys," Classic said, looking at them sternly. "At least give him a chance. Don't you two remember our baseline and the number of baddies that eventually turned good?" he asked, turning to Hunter. "...Need I bring up Bianca?"

"That's different!" Hunter snapped, glaring down at Classic. "Bianca, she...she didn't realize what she was doing..."

"Kind of like how my counterpart didn't when I pushed him into that form," Classic interrupted with a smug smirk.

Hunter groaned and let out a sigh as he placed his hand to his head.

 _"Fine,"_ he finally said in defeat before he looked back at Classic. "But if he goes psycho on us again and forces this loop to end early for us, don't come crying to me!"

Classic grinned before he turned back to look at Legend. Said dragon was still sitting in place, head moving around as he tried to understand his odd surroundings.

 _'Alright, then. Time to help my counterpart loosen up!'_ he thought, walking over to him. _'Should be pretty easy. If he really is my counterpart, then skateboarding should come natural to him!'_

* * *

The sound of a shrill scream could be heard as a purple dragon clinging onto a board with wheels like it was his lifeline went flying through the air. Legend's eyes were wide open as the ground approached fast. On instinct he opened his wings, but the speed with which he had been propelled off the ramp made straightening his descent almost impossible. Managing to slow himself down somewhat, he toppled over himself, landing chin first as he skidded across the ground. Body still standing up in the air as his head rested on the ground, Legend's expression went flat.

_'Whoever came up with this accursed form of transportation needs to be thrown to Malefor's army...'_

From atop the massive ramp the Classic trio had encouraged Legend to skate down, Sparx placed a hand on his chin.

"Ya' know, in hindsight," Sparx began, turning to Classic and Hunter, "maybe encouraging Spyro's counterpart, who's from an age where skateboards weren't even _invented_ yet, to try to skate down the highest ramp in the park wasn't _necessarily_ the best of ideas..."

"...You sure he's your counterpart?" Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow at Classic.

Classic sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, skateboarding is out of the question..." he muttered, watching as his counterpart got up and went to stomp down on the skateboard, only for it to wheel out from under him and cause him to fall flat on his back.

Classic's expression flattened. "Good thing I still have that healing spell..."

* * *

Classic shook his head. Hunter and Sparx were standing near the edge of the parking lot. They had decided to wait while he and his loop brother decided to take care of their loop mother's errands. Glancing over to Legend, he raised an eyebrow at how confused he looked.

Over the past couple of days, Legend had been bombarded with new experiences from all sides. Having a twin, playing video games, and trying to survive on a board with wheels, just to name a few. However, he hadn't fully grasped how different this world was from his own until Classic took him grocery shopping.

In his experience, Legend never saw the point of paying money for food. Why bother when you could go hunt down a deer and make dinner yourself? As the two purple dragons made their way to the marketplace, Legend chose not to voice his scepticism, electing to marvel at the pristine condition of the city around him. Amazed at the ornate architecture of the buildings, he couldn't help but cringe. Not at how overly done everything was, but at how Classic's loops apparently went. Whenever evil threatened Classic's world, it was always able to be caught and contained before it caused any more damage. Legend, on the other hand, had to clean up a mess that was a millennium in the making. It didn't help that he had to do so in three years, lest the planet be destroyed.

As Classic went over the list his mother had compiled, he detected his brother's distraught expression, "Hey, I know that you really suck at skateboarding, but it's nothing to get upset over."

Legend realized that his covet was showing and decided that bottling it up wouldn't end well, considering what happened the last time his temper spilled. "No, it's not that. Please, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm just angry at you."

"I wasn't trying to embarrass you, honest. I just thought—"

"It's not about skateboarding, OK? When I said that you treated everything like a game, I wasn't lying. All those adventures you told me about; those crises were averted because you existed to stop them. Me? I wasn't even born yet when Malefor brought the dragon civilization to its knees. No matter what loop I find myself in, I'm always at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and I just have to deal with it."

"You...you have the privilege to treat your situation lightly, because your base loop was full of happy endings. I _am_ you, for Ancestors' sake! If my branch was created from your branch, why are we so different? Why can't I be as happy as you?" Finishing his despairing rant, Legend noticed the weird looks from bystanders, and both dragons picked their pace up considerably.

Once they were out of witnesses' sight, Classic tried to form some words of counsel for his brother. Even though this conversation eerily reminded him of Legend's psychotic rampage, he knew that things were different this time. No longer were they trying to tear each other down; this outburst was an earnest plea to the unseen powers that forced the two anchors and their fellow loopers on their unending odyssey across an infinite array of universes.

"I...can't answer that question. You have to ask Ihy about that. All I can do is help you be a kid again. That Malefor guy, he stole that from you, and I'm going to help you get it back."

With that said, the twins now stood in front of a large stone arch, the words "Lorefang Marketplace" inscribed on it. It was here that the dragons would be able to complete their mother's errand.

Legend sat silent for a bit, ruminating on Classic's ambition to restore his childhood, until the words he saw at the top of the arch registered in his mind. ' _Lorefang? That's sounds just like... No, that's impossible, this city couldn't be... Could it?'_

His brother proceeded to walk in until he realized that Legend was not following. "Hey, come on! You aren't gonna stand there all day, are ya?"

"No, of course not."

"Well?"

Classic tapped his claws impatiently and rolled his eyes when Legend finally stepped forward. "Look, I'm trying my best to help you. But eventually you'll have to get used to the idea of trying new things, otherwise you're never going to get out of the rut you've been thrown into over and over again."

"I know that, but you have to understa— _Oh my ancestors..._ " Legend failed to finish his rebuttal when they entered the complex, leading him to lay eyes on the marvel encased within.

Creatures of all shapes and sizes promenaded throughout what could only be described as a crystalline masterpiece. Legend dared to look underneath the transparent floor and witnessed dragons and cheetahs, among other species, conducting commerce at booths and small stores built within the walls.

Classic simply whistled at what he considered to be the fanciest building he had ever been in. "You know, Artisans are known for their crafting skills, but this is just crazy."

"...Crazy is the perfect word for this. Who built this place, and why? Why would anyone spend this much effort building something like this, when all that was needed was a place to sell goods?"

"I don't know. I guess whoever built this place really liked glass. So, items on the list: beef, chicken, broth, fruits... " Classic deadpanned, seeing that his counterpart was still taking in his surroundings. "You have never seen anything like this, have you?"

Shaking his head, Legend tried to avoid getting distracted by the matrices of metal and glass that composed the interior of the building, but everywhere he looked, he found something new to gawk at. "I'm sorry, but, this is just too much. Could I just wait outside?"

"Of course you can't. You have to get used to this world, and if you can't get the freakin' groceries, then you're hopeless. Just stick with me and you'll be fine, I promise."

* * *

"Thank you, come again!"

Finished with the final transaction, Classic placed the last item on the list in his subspace pocket. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the job was done. Throughout their visit, Classic was embarrassed every time Legend asked the vendors a question, like: "You didn't hunt this down yourself? Why are you selling it, then?" Despite Legend's blunt display of his lack of social skills, he accepted that first-claw experience was the only way his brother was going to learn how to operate in this world.

A claw tapped on Classic's shoulder, and he turned to see Legend gesturing toward what looked to be a bookstore. The book-phobic dragon shook his head. "Look, I did enough reading to find those spells we need."

"I don't think you understand. Just come with me, alright?" A wide smile was worn on Legend's face, and Classic wondered what his brother was so excited about.

Out of curiosity, he dragged himself to the shop, and there stood a cut-out of a giant robot. Boldly written on the advertisement was: "Mazinger Z, Fighting Robot: New Issues in Stock!"

"Can we get a book about this? I just have to know more about this robot stuff!" Legend almost began to hop up and down due to the amount of hype he was experiencing.

"Well, considering that you are attracted to something that's cool for once, I'm all for it. I wouldn't expect you to be into robots, though. Didn't you come from the Middle Ages or something?"

Legend sheepishly pawed the floor as he tried to explain this. "Well, I was in this one loop where that same exact robot from the sign there took out this giant rock monster called 'The Destroyer'. Usually, me and Cynder had to defeat it, but that robot made everything so much easier. And then, I found out that a human was controlling it, and...well, I guess I like robots now."

Legend's twin tried to keep himself from chuckling, until he couldn't hold it in any longer. His face flushing red in embarrassment, Legend tried to salvage some of his dignity. "Hey, we both played that Dyson game, so you have no right to go and laugh at me."

"Heh, really? You're the one who tries to be mature and serious, and then you start wigging out over a robot comic like a complete fanboy! Fanboy, fanboy, fanboy!"

"I'm not a fanboy! ...Whatever that means!" Legend spat.

"Yes." Classic gasped to catch his breath after his bout of laughter. "You are a total fanboy and you won't admit it."

"Keep saying that and you'll regret it."

"Aw, come on, bro! You don't have to be so uptight about things. We're still going to get that comic you wanted, so don't get your tail in a knot. Fanboy."

Steaming at his brother's incessant name-calling, Legend had the urge to shut his mouth with a head-butt to the face. As Classic's chortles started to wind down, though, he slowly began to feel his rage give way to confusion and his scowl subsided. What was he so angry about? There was no reason to get upset. Despite Classic's inclination to be rather rude, he did have good intentions. Besides, Legend had dealt with this kind of behavior from his dragonfly brother. Why couldn't he take this banter in good humor, like he did before the war?

 _'Come to think of it, I have been distant from Sparx ever since these loops. I haven't seen him for two days and I didn't even bat an eye!'_ Legend looked down, a frown on his face. _'...Did the war do this to me?'_

"Hey, don't get all quiet on me. It was just a joke."

Legend raised his head and a small smile emerged. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for getting me to realize that."

At this, Classic placed his paw behind his head, flattered at his twin's gratitude. "Dude, you don't have to thank me. We're brothers, right? A bro helps his bro. That's the way it works."

It was at this moment that Legend fully accepted his new family member. "Yeah. A bro helps his bro."

* * *

Ember tried to steady her nerves. She knew she had asked for this, but at the same time, it was a bit odd to get used to. She knew she couldn't put off learning to fight any longer, lest she be in greater danger in the next loops should something worse than a mugger pop up. Staring down a training dummy Cynder had borrowed from the local dojo, Ember took a deep breath. She—rather awkwardly—hunched down in the position Cynder had taught her as she readied her nerves.

Cynder watched from the sidelines with an indifferent expression. Luckily, this loop version of herself had been training at the dojo for a while now before she blinked awake. This made getting the dummy a cinch, but trying to sign Ember up for a class proved difficult, thanks in part to their loop mother.

"I... Do you really think this is necessary?" Edna asked her daughter, looking down at Cynder.

Cynder shook her head. "You won't let her join at the temple to learn this stuff, even though she asked about it."

"Well, it's just..." Edna said, glancing at Ember with an apprehensive face. "Maybe this is a bit of an overreaction?"

Cynder shook her head. From what her loop memories told her, their mother was the overprotective type. It had apparently taken her a full year to let her pre-awake self take up self-defence classes because she didn't want to see her get hurt in a sparring match, and that was only because she had proven herself to be fully committed to it. Nonetheless, Cynder shook her head at the comment.

"She was almost mugged. If I wasn't there, things could have been a lot worse," Cynder said flatly, her eyes still focused on Ember. "She has the right to learn how to defend herself."

Edna bit her lip. Cynder had always had a habit of being smarter than her age would suggest. That was part of the reason she had let Cynder join the local dojo in the first place. Still, it was hard to picture Ember in a setting like that. Ember had always be fairly naive and innocent. The idea of her getting flung around during a practice match gone wrong terrified her greatly. She didn't want to see her get hurt.

Cynder shook her head. Ignoring her loop mother, she walked over to Ember and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"You almost got the basic combat position down. There's still a few things that are off, though," she said, gently shifting Ember into the correct position.

Despite not exactly being big on the idea of Ember learning how to fight, Edna couldn't help but smile. If nothing else, it was nice to see her big sister looking out for her.

* * *

Sunset was nigh, and Classic continued to rack his brain over the inert pieces of metal on his desk. How simple it was to take advantage of its weak security measures, but the arcane structure of the armor was now corrupted as a result of forcefully stopping the adhesive process.

 _'I'm so lucky that I didn't touch anything else, otherwise I would've had to wipe the entire artifact and start with a clean slate._ ' With a sigh, Classic allowed his magic sense to overlay his vision and placed his paw on the armor. With a muted buzz, the protective gear projected scores of luminescent symbols onto a clear space on the wall, until it presented an understandable prompt:

"GoldArmor-magicArtifact  
Welcome back, enter a command:  
[#!]_"

_'Huh, I only have to log in once? Did anyone take a look at this and consider that maybe, just maybe, that was a bad design decision?'_ Classic chose to push this thought from his mind. He needed to focus on the task at hand. His eyes fixated on the wall and he thought out his instructions to the magical command line.

"[#!]find corrupted enchantments  
Found 1, Adhesive. emt  
[#!]remove Adhesive. emt  
Removed successfully.  
[#!]run EnchantmentStudio. emt  
[!]A new update is available, install? Yes or No?  
[#!]No  
Welcome to Enchantment Studio v1.5. For help, think "manual" or "support"  
[#!]create new enchantment  
Name of Enchantment?  
[#!]StickyArmor. emt  
Names of Tomes?  
[#!]Glue. tome  
Names of Spells?  
[#!]Attraction. spell  
[#!]Subj_"

Classic stopped writing; the underscore dangled at the end of the unfinished word. The vaporous, cyan clouds that veiled his eyes bubbled and frothed, as if they were protesting Classic's hasty decision to rewrite a corrupted enchantment himself.

On the other side of the bedroom, Legend was engrossed in the mecha manga that he had obtained from the bookstore. He was quite familiar with books, having assisted the Chronicler when they were trying to find out why the loops were happening. However, he had never encountered books that combined prose and illustration so seamlessly. It was as if the two media united in a harmonious waltz, causing the story to increase tenfold in its immersion.

 _'So, Koji is Dr. Kabuto's grandson, and all this tragedy happened over some scientific discovery? That's so sad...'_ Unfortunately, before Legend could keep reading, a muffled curse resounded from Classic, and then a question was asked loud enough for Legend to hear.

"What am I getting myself into?"

Legends stirred at the question and turned his head to see what his brother was doing. He blinked as he noticed Classic had a set of gold armor like he did. Come to think of it, what had happened to his armor after the fight? He hadn't exactly been in a state of mind to grab it.

"Since when do you have that kind of armor?" he asked in a surprised tone.

Classic jumped, harboring guilt over the fact that he was trying to fix his brother's armor when he barely knew how to write an enchantment. Then he chuckled bitterly. "It's your stuff. I kinda grabbed it after you beat it out of the park. During...that, I kinda sorta messed with your armor, thinking it would get me the win. Afterwards, I thought that I'd fix 'em up as my way of saying 'I'm sorry,'" Classic explained. Then he shook his head. "But well, it doesn't want to work with me."

Intrigued, Legend set his comic aside and cautiously started treading across the room. "How did you mess with my armor? I don't remember you doing anything to it."

"I kinda yanked off some of the pieces in a way you're not supposed to," Classic replied, embarrassed.

Legend's response held a veiled knife. "When?"

"About the time with the egg," Classic said vaguely. He wasn't giving their mother any more ammunition if she were listening in.

"Well, that explains a few things," Legends said dryly. "I was wondering what you were doing just staring at me."

They had both accepted that their fight was an act of foolishness from both parties, and if they hadn't been so abrasive toward each other, the two dragons wouldn't have had to set up a web of lies to cover their tracks. Knowing that they both had probably discussed that particular event far more than they would like in this Loop, Legend moved into safer waters. "So what's the problem?"

Classic shrugged. "No clue. At the end of the day, magic is somewhere between an art form and a science. I can magic up a desired result about eighty percent of the time, but the remaining twenty... Well, see for yourself."

"Can I see for myself?"

A bit of sweat ran down Classic's neck, but he kept his voice level. "What do you mean by that?"

"Could I see how you're fixing my armor? I'd like to know more about magic so I can use that teleport spell you promised me."

The pint-sized magician weighed his options. He could make his command line visible to Legend, as long as his brother didn't know anything about magic. Besides, the magic command prompt probably wasn't invented in Legend's time, so what did he have to worry about?

"Fine then. Don't ask me any questions, though. I have to focus on this."

With that, Classic revealed the translucent projection that transcribed the interactions between himself and the armor. The vapor that surrounded his eyes also became visible to Legend, whose mouth hung open in awe.

In a whisper, Legend finally reacted to the sight before him. "...That's what you were doing during the fight?"

"Yep. That's the same reaction I had when I saw this for the first time. To think, all this stuff is what's actually going on when you're waving a wand around. It's a lot of hard work to write an enchantment of your own, and it often doesn't work the first time. But when it finally does what it's supposed to, I've heard that it gives you the most satisfying feeling in the world."

"I can imagine..." As he tried to comprehend the scores of messages that apparently rattled around in his armor, Legend continued. "Will I have to learn this, too?"

"Fortunately for the both of us, no. I guess you could consider this 'advanced' magic; it's extremely powerful stuff if you know what you're doing and how to do it." Classic kept transmitting his commands to the armor, hoping that Legend wouldn't catch on to his lack of expertise. "If you only need to use a spell, you can get away with magical calligraphy."

"And what's that?"

"Well, I never liked it, but it's basically magic for dummies. If you know how to draw a triangle, then you should be fine. With that said, it's sometimes finicky and the novelty wears off. Quickly."

"So, wait. Everyone can use magic?"

"Yes and no. Yes, magic is just a part of life in my world. Every dragon is able to use it to a small extent. But no, if you really want to do cool stuff with it, then you have to dedicate a lot of time to learn and practice it, which is something that people either don't have or they just don't see the point."

At this, Legend felt that there was a similarity between his study of elements and Classic's study of magic. Whenever he frequented Warfang, Legend always thought that it was a disturbing trend that the civilians only knew the most basic elemental techniques. As he listened to Classic's lecture, however, he came to the conclusion that the unfortunate denizens of the city had no time or privilege to study with the Guardians like he did. Either they were fighting against the siege, or they were sleeping with one eye open.

_'Then that means, the next time I find myself in a base loop, I have to do my best to share what I learned. Otherwise, we'll always spend the whole loop fighting Malefor.'_

"Alright, I understand. So, when do we start?"

Classic raised a glance to his brother and spoke in softer volume. "Start what? Teaching you? It depends, really. We're both a bit young to be magicians, and we might get some suspicion from our parents and the police, considering everything that's happened so far. If you want to start now, we have to find a safer place to do it, don't you think?"

Conceding to this, Legend sighed. "Yes, that's true."

Even though Classic's reasoning was sound, Legend had a small suspicion that he was trying to hide something. Whatever it was, it could wait. He had a previous engagement to attend to, and reading about a dragon and his super fighting mecha was rather compelling.

As he climbed back onto the bed, Legend retrieved his comic book and resumed the story. Classic's tension subsided in response to this, and he returned his attention to the armor.

 _'I can figure it out myself,'_ he thought. _'If I know how to work a command line, I don't have to get scared about writing my own spells... Right?'_

* * *

Today was a day for answers. After eating their breakfast, the two purple dragons made their way to an apartment in the uptown of Lorefang, ready to confront the equivalent of a god. Thanks to Classic's parental manipulation skills, the Spyros were once again allowed to leave the house, and Ihy would now have to answer for the repeated tribulations that Legend endured as a result of the loops.

Legend stopped at the door, his claw faltering. This Ihy character probably wouldn't care, if his previous behavior was any indicator. Would a drunkard really consider altering his history so that he and his fellow loopers could lead a more peaceful life?

"Are you going to knock? What's wrong?" Classic asked.

"Please don't rush me, I just need to gather myself for a moment."

The more mature of the pair steadied himself and, after what felt like an hour, finally brought his clenched paw down upon the door. However, Legend's attempt to strike the door was foiled when it opened to reveal a dragon who reeked of alcohol. Both dragons jumped back at this, and the drunkard admin breathed out a sigh of derision and headache.

"Are you seriously surprised that an Admin would expect you?"

Classic stepped forward to answer, but he was interrupted by Ihy. "You know what? Don't answer. Just come inside and don't touch anything, got it?"

With that, the anchors were led into the apartment, where Legend Sparx and Hunter also resided. The cheetah appeared to have woken up recently and just started making breakfast for himself, while the dragonfly sat on the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room, watching the television.

Legend stared at his brother, stopping in the main corridor. So far, Sparx seemed to be doing fine without him, and he felt a pang of guilt for leaving the dragonfly in the dust over the course of the loops. Before he could continue in his remorse, he was once again called back into reality.

"Hey, bro! Keep up with us, alright?" Classic called.

Sparx flew toward Classic and kept pace with him, not realizing that he was not the one being addressed. "Spyro, I haven't seen you most of this loop! Did you get to see all the cool stuff this world has? It's amazing; why don't we have this stuff in our loops? You know, I gotta ask Ihy abou—"

Legend grew a bit annoyed at Sparx's tangent and stopped him before he could finish. "Sparx, he was talking to me. By the way, you're talking to the wrong Spyro."

"...Oh, sorry. You know, we really need to come up with something, like code names for you two." Sparx flew toward the correct Spyro and resumed his one-sided conversation. "So I was saying, I gotta ask Ihy about putting this stuff in our loops, wouldn't that be cool?"

"Actually, I have something really important to ask him. If you want, you can sit with us while we're discussing this, OK?"

"Alright. Could you ask him to put TV in our loop? I asked him a few times, but he's a huge stickler about it..."

As Sparx ran his mouth, Legend rediscovered one of the reasons why he'd blocked Sparx out during the loops. To be frank, his adopted brother was funny sometimes, but he was annoying much of the time. Having to put up with it during a perpetual war did not help. The dragon caught up to his twin, and it was then that Legend heard a rare gem in Sparx's ramblings.

"...Spy and Ro!"

Both dragons perked up and tilted their heads in response.

"What?" they said in unison.

"Yeah, he's Spy, since he's like a copy of you," Sparx gestured to Classic as he said so. "And you're Ro, because you're my bro. Cool, right?"

Classic and Legend felt a bit apprehensive at the butchering of their matching names and almost expressed their disapproval, until Ihy grew impatient.

"Are you here to talk to me or what? I should be sitting on a sofa, living it up after making this whole damned universe, but now I'm playing school counselor for a couple of whelps," Ihy grumbled from behind his desk, apparently fighting a hangover.

The admin's tone rubbed Legend the wrong way, and he finally let Ihy know exactly what he thought of this looping business. "What a great attitude for someone who is supposed to take care of our loops. Yes, I am going to talk to you, and you're going to listen and understand exactly what I'm going through!"

Ihy looked toward Legend with a unimpressed expression, while Classic and Sparx stood silent with the knowledge that their brother was restricting his rising urge to chuck the drunkard straight out the window.

"I have served in war for a total of three thousand, six hundred and forty five years. Yes, I have been counting. I keep playing my part in this perpetual circus of yours, hoping that someday, I'll finally be able to put this all behind me and live my life in peace. My brother, on the other paw—"

Ihy and Sparx raised their eyebrows as Legend raised a pointed claw at Classic.

"Your brother?" they parroted.

"My brother lives a life of luxury, compared to me. Every time evil threatens his world, it can be stopped before it festers and grows. But what about me? I was born into a broken world, and there's no way for me to end things before they begin. I have to spend five years fighting in a war that refuses to end until the loop finally comes to a close. If you're in charge of these loops, then why do you let us suffer like this? Cynder and I, we defied _death_ to save our world, and it was all in vain because you decided that it would be funny to keep throwing us back to the very beginning until we lose our sanity! Is that what you want? Is it?!"

In his slurred thoughts, Ihy felt a slight empathy toward the frustrated anchor before him, but he also took great offense to what Legend had just insinuated. "You think I'm a sadist? Of course I don't want to see you or your friends go batshit! It's just that..."

"That what? You said you made this world. Can't you do us a favor and do something like that for my loops too? Better yet, can we just stay in this loop?"

"...I was going to say, it's complicated. I had to get permission from the higher-ups to get this whole loop set up for you two. What do you think they'll say if I try to do this favor for you? What if everybody got to make their perfect little paradises whenever they wanted? What'll happen to Yggdrasil if we strain it with more and more universes? What fucking then?"

The entire apartment fell under a blanket of silence. The anger that Legend harbored began to subside, and Ihy resumed speaking. "Look, I know that your baseline sucks. If it didn't threaten the World Tree, I would be more than happy to help you out. But the situation remains that you have to tough it out."

Legend's head hung low. "Is that it, then? There's nothing you can do to help me and my friends?"

The admin tapped a claw on the desk. Looking at the monitor beside him, he managed to come up with an idea. "I can help you, but for the good of Yggdrasil, I shouldn't. However, that doesn't mean that you can't help yourself."

With that, he made a request for logs of Legend's activities during the loop. A few seconds later, a lengthy array of records spread across the screen and Ihy turned the monitor toward the two anchors. "This is your log. It recorded all your activities since you started looping."

The two purple dragons as well as the dragonfly gawked in disbelief. With a shaky voice, Legend stuttered, "You've been watching us the whole time?"

"You could say that Yggdrasil keeps track of everybody. Do me a favor and tell me what you notice as I scroll through your records."

Before Legend's eyes, his never-ending story was recounted in sterile, mechanical language. He read the first loop. All the events that the log accounted for were extremely familiar, in spite of the register's broken, note-like syntax. Ihy scrolled on, the next loop appearing on the screen. Speed-reading through the next section, Legend didn't find any new details. More loops were presented, and he noticed nearly no difference between one loop and the next, excluding the scarce variant loops, of course. At the thirtieth loop, Ihy stopped scrolling and asked Legend to make an observation.

"So, did you notice anything?"

"There...wasn't much to notice. The loops were so similar that I could barely find anything noteworthy."

"Exactly. And from what I can tell, you reacted to all of these events the same way. Every single loop, it was the same routine for you. Save the Guardians, free Cynder, fight a war for three years or so, and kick Malefor's ass. Rinse and repeat."

"Are you saying that I shouldn't strive to save my world every loop? How would that help?"

"No, not exactly. In fact, doing the same thing for a majority of your loops made it pretty easy for us to make repairs on your branch, and on others. Thanks, by the way. But if you want to increase the chance that you will find yourself in a loop other than your base loop, then you need to add variables."

"Variables?"

"Variables. By letting certain events happen or preventing them, you are presenting new variables to Yggdrasil. When Yggdrasil has more variables to handle, it compensates by creating variant loops. Basically, if you keep changing the decisions that you make on each loop, there'll be a greater chance that on the next loop, you'll find yourself in a different universe."

At this, Classic remembered what he'd told Legend before they entered the market. "See, I told you. Try new things and good things will happen."

Ihy begged to differ, however. "Wrong. Try new things and different things will happen, not good things necessarily."

Legend began to fret over the implications of Ihy's explanation. "What do you mean by 'not good things'?"

"Good question. For one thing, you could loop in as a different person, which is incredibly trippy in most cases."

Recalling the strange loop where he'd played the part of Ignitus, Legend shuddered.

"Even worse, you could end up in a loop where everything that can go wrong _will_ go wrong. These unstable loops also have a nasty habit of crashing due to their hostility toward the anchors that house them."

It was here that Sparx finally spoke up. "And by hostile, you mean...?" He wheeled his arms, signaling Ihy to finish the sentence.

"You could all die. Very quickly."

Once again, no words were heard from the group.

"That said, you could also have a ton of fun in a variant. Really, it's a gamble with the best fucking prizes and the shittiest penalties. In the end, it's your choice and it's your life. Do what you want, and as long as you don't fuck Yggdrasil up, you're fine."

The Spyros and Sparx processed this bombardment of information and advice, while Hunter walked in from the kitchen to add his two cents to the conversation. "So I haven't been listening the entire time, but I think I know what you're sayin'. The best we can do is to just do our best, right?"

"If that's how you want to see it," was Ihy's ambiguous response.

Finally, Sparx decided that he'd had enough of this Ihy guy and his unclear counsel. "Geez, aren't you a big help. Come on, Spy and Ro, let's just leave. This guy's a complete hack."

Both purple dragons opened their mouths to reprimand Sparx for his new naming convention, but Hunter started to speak before they could make their disapproval known. "This Sparx knows what he's talking about. Right, um... Hey, other Sparx, what did you call my Spyro again?"

 _'Oh great, it's spreading...'_ thought Classic. He would have told Legend Sparx exactly what he and his counterpart thought of this 'Spy and Ro' thing, but he declined. It would pass eventually. Hopefully.

Legend, on the other paw, decided to express some gratitude to the admin. "Um, thank you for your advice. I'm sorry for yelling at you like that."

"It's nothing, really. Besides, I've taken a lot worse from the other admins. Now, if you want to do me a favor, leave. I'm currently busy with something."

So, it was decided. The four loopers exited the apartment and made their plans for the rest of the day, leaving Ihy to drown himself away on more beer and television. As they walked down the stairs, Legend debated his options. Would he introduce new variables for the chance that he and his friends could avoid the base loop more often, or would he follow the course for predictability and the good of Yggrasil?

* * *

Early in the morning, Cynder stood in the living room staring at a note. She narrowed her eyes at what was written on it.

_'Dear Cynder,_

_Ember and I are going out grocery shopping today, and I'm leaving you in charge of the house. There should be some cans of soup in the kitchen if you get hungry._

_Love, your mother.'_

Getting the sneaking suspicion that this had to do with their loop mother not wanting Ember to learn how to fight, Cynder sighed. There wasn't much she could really do about it for the moment. The best she could do was wait for them to return and, provided they didn't take all day, she would resume training her sister then.

It was then that there was a knock on the door. Raising an eyebrow, Cynder went over and cautiously opened it. Buzzing in front of the open doorframe was a gold sparkling dragonfly. She was about to narrow her eyes at why Sparx had decided to bug her today, but once she got a good look at the dragonfly, she tilted her head.

"Wait... You're that other Sparx."

"Yep. 'Classic' Sparx, the non-wimpy Sparx, the Sparx who doesn't look like he spent too much time around a radioactive waste dump, I'm willing to go with any of those," Classic Sparx said, an amused smile on his face.

Cynder blinked. "Why are you here?"

"Well, hi to you too."

Cynder's expression went flat, causing Classic Sparx to smirk.

"My Spyro is busy hanging out with your Spyro, my counterpart is avoiding me like the plague, and I have no idea what Hunter's up to, so I figured I'd see what you and Ember are up to," Sparx said, glancing back into the house. "...Where is everyone, anyway?"

"They went out doing something called 'grocery shopping'," Cynder said flatly. "Or rather, 'Mom' dragged Ember out to keep her away from me teaching her how to defend herself."

"Ember's trying to learn how to fight?" Sparx asked, raising an eyebrow. "Geez, that must be one heck of an uphill battle."

Cynder narrowed her eyes. This Sparx may have looked different, but he was beginning to sound a lot like the Sparx she knew all too well. "I'll have you know she's coming along quite nicely. The fact that our loop mother is trying at all cost to prevent it is beside the point."

"Yeah, yeah," Sparx said, rolling his eyes. "I was just teasing. Don't have to take it so personally."

Cynder kept a sharp glare on the dragonfly, but Sparx simply chuckled. With a smirk, he began to fly into the building.

"Well, I don't have anything else better to do at the moment. Mind if I hang out here for a bit?" he asked, glancing around at the living room with a whistle.

"Hold on now, I don't think I'm allowed to have anyone over," Cynder said, quickly following after Sparx with a scowl.

"Ah, relax. I'm a tiny dragonfly. What does your mother have to worry about? Me stealing lint?" Sparx asked, smirking as he rested on one of the arm chairs of the couch in the middle of the living room.

Cynder let out a groan. It was official. This Sparx may look different, but he was more or less the Sparx she knew nonetheless. She was just about to demand him to leave when a low gurgling sound escaped from her stomach. With flushing cheeks, she glanced down. Realizing she had yet to have breakfast, she glanced over to the kitchen. From what she could tell, food was much easier to come by in this world than it was in her own, which was good. However, from what she'd observed from her loop mother, it involved a lot more preparation. She paused.

 _'...It can't be_ that _hard... Can it?'_ Remembering the note her loop mother had left that said something about 'cans of soup', whatever those were, she headed over to the kitchen.

As Cynder entered through the door, she paused and took a look around. Cabinets were hung about everywhere and that odd storage container that kept food fresh for longer sat in the corner. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced around.

"Need some help?"

Cynder jumped, spinning around to see Sparx floating in the air. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself. I do not need any help," Cynder said flatly before turning back to her surroundings.

Pausing, she took a few minutes to figure out where the food was most commonly kept. She walked over to the 'refrigerator' and opened the door, to be hit with a rush of cold air. Staggering back, she took a defensive stance as she eyed the opened door carefully. Hearing Sparx chuckling in the background, she glared at him.

Sparx looked on with an amused expression. "Careful now. Those refrigerators are wily ones."

Expression going flat, Cynder turned back to the refrigerator. Cautiously walking up to it, she looked around at the contents. She raised an eyebrow. From what she could see, mostly boxes and vegetables were kept in there. She had no idea why a dragon would eat vegetables, but considering the odd diets of the dragons of this world, she didn't dwell on the subject for long.

It was then she noticed a package of raw meat. It would be good back-up in case she couldn't figure out where this 'soup can' was, but considering her loop mother wanted her to get the soup first, and this Sparx was teasing about her lack of knowledge of how food was stored in this loop, she wanted to prove that she could figure this out on her own.

"Teasing aside, exactly what are you looking for?" Sparx asked, flying over next to Cynder.

Cynder glanced over flatly. "A soup can."

"Oh," Sparx said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Well, you know, them soup cans are so hard to find, what with them being non-refrigerated."

Cynder narrowed her eyes. Closing the refrigerator door, she went over to the cabinets where food was also kept. Glancing around the interior, she came across a small can with the words 'chicken soup' on it. Pulling it out, she raised an eyebrow.

"What's the matter? Don't you have cans in your world?" Sparx asked, a slight smirk on his face.

Cynder groaned, a scowl on her face. Rolling his eyes, Sparx floated over to her.

"Word of advice, the food is _in_ the can."

Cynder glared at him before placing the can on the table. Eyeing it warily, she placed her paw on it and attempted to rip off the top. When it refused to budge, Cynder picked it up and attempted to tear the can in two, growling as a scowl planted itself firmly on her face. After several seconds of this, she gave up to take a moment to catch her breath. Hearing Sparx chuckling in the background, she groaned.

"Pro-tip: try using a can opener," Sparx suggested, making sure to fly up out of range of any retaliation the dragoness below him could dish out.

Cynder blinked. She wasn't entirely sure what a 'can opener' was, so she brushed the comment off. Setting the can on the table, she glared at it. There had to be _some_ way to open this thing. Glancing backwards, she noted the blade at the tip of her tail. Glaring back at the soup can, she swung her tail forward and pierced the blade through the middle of the can. Turning it sideways so the content didn't go spilling out, she pulled her tailblade free.

"Dang. Never saw someone who _was_ a can opener before."

"You know, for someone who gets annoyed by our Sparx's mouth, you have quite an annoying one on you as well," Cynder finally said, glaring over towards Classic Sparx.

Sparx held his hands out in front of him. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. I was just teasing, is all."

Cynder shook her head. Turning back to the can, she picked it up and was about to drink its contents from the hole she'd made. Just before she did, though, Sparx flew in front of her.

"Whoah, hold up there!" Sparx said, getting in front of her and the can. "You can't just eat this stuff cold!"

Cynder narrowed her eyes. "And why not?"

"Because it's unhealthy! That's why!" Sparx sighed. "Listen, just get a bowl. I'll walk you through this."

Cynder groaned, setting the can down and getting a bowl. As she set the bowl down, Sparx nodded as she took the can and poured the soup into it.

"Tell me, uh..."

"Cynder."

"Yeah, Cynder, right," Sparx said, scratching the back of his head. "Have you ever cooked something before?"

"No," Cynder said, looking down at the bowl of soup. "Most of the stuff I tend to eat is either raw or doesn't need to be cooked."

"Yeesh. How in the realms do you not get sick on a regular basis, then?"

Cynder raised her head and looked at the dragonfly. "I'm pretty sure we can chalk that up to dragons from my world being different from yours. I'd think that'd be rather apparent, considering everything you've seen so far," she said flatly. "By the way, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering if I should have the fire department on hand," Sparx said, a cheeky grin on his face.

Cynder's expression flattened as she glared at Sparx before she turned back to her food. She needed to somehow cook this thing, though she doubted her loop mother would approve of starting a fire in the house. As several seconds passed, Sparx flew down next to her.

"Here's an idea. Why not use the microwave?"

"The wha—?"

Sparx shook his head before pointing to the odd silver-ish box thing that was sitting on the counter. Cynder blinked at the odd contraption before looking back at the bowl of soup. After several seconds passed, she picked the bowl up and headed over to the counter top. Setting the bowl down, she eyed the odd device, tapping on the glass covering.

"The food goes inside. Just saying."

"I figured that," Cynder said flatly. "I can figure this out on my own, thank you very much."

"Fine, fine. Excuse me for trying to help."

Cynder shook her head before looking back at the silver-ish box. _'Come on, Cynder. You've survived being mind-controlled for several loops, fought your way through hordes of the Dark Master's minions, and figured out the Destroyer's weakness. Surely you can figure out how to use this micro...whatever...thing.'_

Cynder narrowed her eyes. The first challenge would be figuring out how to open the blasted thing. She could tell the glass in front was a door of some sort, but there wasn't any handle readily apparent. Raising her paw up, she put one of her claws in the slit around the door. Tugging with all her might, she nearly pulled the microwave off the table as she struggled to rebalance herself. Catching herself and putting the microwave back into a more stable position, she placed one of her paws to brace against the microwave to make sure it wouldn't fall.

Several seconds passed as she struggled against the door. Despite her many, _many_ years of fighting in a war and coming out on top against all odds, she had never come across something as stubborn as the door to this microwave. Taking a few seconds to catch her breath, she heard Sparx clear his throat. Glancing over, she noted Sparx was eyeing the buttons next to the door. Pausing, Cynder eyed the buttons curiously. It didn't take a genius to figure out one of these supposedly opened the door. _Which one_ , however, was a different story...

Cynder raised her paw, one of her claws hovering in front of 'defrost'. Sparx cleared his throat again. Taking that as a hint, Cynder lowered her paw to the 'popcorn' setting. Hearing another cleared throat, Cynder lowered her paw towards the biggest button at the very bottom. Hearing nothing from Sparx, Cynder smirked as she pressed the button.

The smirk was quickly wiped from her face as the door flung open and smacked her in the muzzle.

Frowning as she rubbed her sore snout, she held the door open and lowered her head to pick up the bowl of soup in her mouth. Placing it in the microwave, she closed the door. Smirking at her small victory, she paused. It was only then that she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do next.

Realizing from her earlier experience with the door that it was the buttons that worked this contraption, she raised her claw. Unsure of what to do next, she pressed one of the buttons at random. As the microwave admitted a loud beep, Cynder staggered back, eyes wide as she raised her wings in surprise.

Sparx raised his hand in front of his mouth, trying his best to suppress his growing giggles. "Relax. It's not going to eat you or anything."

Cynder glared at him before cautiously heading back towards the microwave. Raising her paw again, she began to press buttons at random, flinching every time it beeped. Finally, the microwave began to admit a whirring sound as the bowl of soup inside it began to spin and the inners lit up. Cynder paused, glancing over to Sparx. The dragonfly had a smirk on his face as he held a thumb up.

Cynder smiled at her victory. Maybe she was starting to get the hang of this, after all...

* * *

"...I didn't even know soup _could_ catch fire!" Sparx exclaimed, eyes wide as he kept a good ways away from the chaos going on.

Cynder growled, using her wind element to hopefully smother the flames inside the device. Defying all logic, the top of the bowl of soup was covered in flames. Cynder's left eye twitched. She growled before she ran over to a window and opened it. Rushing back to the raging flames inside the machine, she grabbed the bowl and tossed it out the window.

Panting heavily, she sighed as she lowered her head. Sparx cautiously headed over to her, eyes wide. "...I'm beginning to see why you never cooked before."

Cynder groaned, giving Sparx the coldest glare he had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (O hai, fanfiction. Been a while since this was updated. Sorry it took so long, but hey, now we're back in business.
> 
> Anyways, looks like something amiss is afoot. I'm a bit worried that the upcoming final quarter of this arc might be a bit out there for some. It has to do with Infinite Loop 'lore' as a whole, and some original loop characters that are the closest thing to 'bad' there is in the loops. It'll make sense when it's explained, but... I don't know.
> 
> Anyways, this arc is seriously going on longer than intended. It was originally suppose to be just a way the characters could meet and adjust to one another, and currently there are five more chapters and counting to this arc waiting in the wings. Somehow it became a full fledged story in and of itself. I'm seriously considering posting some 'intermission' chapters that fall more into the loop shenanigans of the first few chapters sense I've gotten quite a few people asking when that's going to start up again. 
> 
> On top of that, there have a been a few misc. snips posted to the thread on Sufficient Velocity and it's starting to pile up a bit there, and I'm getting the feeling that the others helping work on this arc are starting to get a bit tired of working on just it too so... I don't know. I feel like it would be for the best though.
> 
> Anyways, remember to leave a review because it helps us greatly, and give your opinions on the possibility of 'intermission' chapters. I think I have an idea of how to handle this so there's a way to difference between arc chapters and loop shenanigan chapters...)


	14. Filler-y shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx.)
> 
> [So yeah... Guess what I forgot to do for a few chapters! /shot
> 
> Yeah. Just wanted to say that no, this isn't dead. I just kind of forgot about A3O for a while. Just wanted to say I'm sorry about that. It started when I stopped reposting this to dA because I got sick of their file size limits, and then it took a while for the next chapter to be made and... yeah.
> 
> If you'd like to follow this on a place where I WON'T derp and forget to upload this, check out my FF.N repost of this. I almost always post the next chapter to it first as soon as my beta-reader sends it back to me, so chances are if it goes for a while without updating here, there's some updates on FF.N.
> 
> With that out of the way, past me also has an important note about this chapter. So, without further comments, take it away past me.] 
> 
> (A/N: Hey everyone. I don't normally put my A/N at the start of a chapter as I feel like it takes away from the chapter itself, but I felt this needed some explaining. I've gotten several people asking me when the snip based shenanigans would start again, and recently we've had to rewrite the chapter we intended to post next for this current arc because our beta-reader pointed out that it felt a tad bit rushed. As such, rather than putting this on hiatus while we're rewriting it, I decided to try out a 'filler' chapter that falls back into the usual snip based shenanigans of old. 
> 
> A rule shared by authors in the Infinite Loops community is that snips don't necessarily have to take place in sequential order. A few of this snips do take place after the current arc, but don't spoil too much of it, so I feel they're okay to post now without needing any further context for them. Also trying something new with the formatting with the snips. However, I feel like I've already rambled far too much for an A/N at the start, so further comments at the end like always.)

**Classic Loop 2.8**

The smell of burning rubber and mushrooms was thick in the air as karts whizzed by at blistering speeds. Spyro smirked. Out of all the fused loops he'd had so far, it wasn't the most relaxing one, but it was definitely the most _fun._ Driving a kart was nothing new to him. There were a few times he'd joined in Crash's world for kart tournaments. Driving anti-gravity karts on some sort of techno rave course, however...

Sparx held on for dear life, clutching one of the frills atop Spyro's head. Spyro smirked as he came up to an anti-gravity portion of the track, his purple kart hopping slightly as the anti-grav function of his kart kicked in. Punching the gas, Spyro came up upon one of those odd small pillar things. Brushing the side of it, his kart spun around delicately as he got a mini-boost. Spyro grinned, the little hub in the middle of his steering wheel showing that he was in first place.

"We should totally think about setting one of these things up in our world, Sparx! This is awesome!" Spyro said, adrenalin pumping as he kept an eye on the road.

Sparx, who was currently holding a hand in front of his mouth and turning paler by the second, could barely glance down at his friend. "Uh, yeah. Lets not. At the risk of sounding like that wimpy Sparx, I'm getting seriously sick here!"

Spyro glanced back slightly at Sparx. "Well, you didn't have to come with me, ya know."

"What? And let you get turned into road kill?" Sparx said, managing to force a smirk.

Spyro grinned. "Aw c'mon, Sparx. Don't you trust me enough? It's just kart racing. It's not like— _GAH!_ "

Spyro swerved his kart, barely avoiding being smacked by a green shell. "That proves nothing!"

Sparx rolled his eyes as Spyro got his kart back on track. Before he realized what was going on, an Italian mustachioed man clad in red and riding a bike came racing past. Spyro narrowed his eyes, punching the gas as he began to catch up. He smirked.

"You know, for a plumber, you certainly have a wide range of other skills under your belt!" Spyro said, pulling up to the plumber.

Mario looked back, a grin on his face.

"Isn't going to stop me from winning, though!" Spyro taunted, noticing a few item boxes in the distance.

Mario gave a determined smirk, giving a fist pump.

"...You know, I didn't realize it until now, but you don't talk much, do you?"

Mario shook his head in response.

Spyro tried his best to suppress an urge to continue his taunting as he came upon the item boxes. Holding back for a bit, he waited until the item wheel on his HUD stopped spinning before a red shell appeared in his claws. Spyro grinned.

"Well, Mario, as much as I'm enjoying this semi-one-sided conversation, I have a race to win!"

Mario looked back, his eyes wide as he was smacked with the red shell, his kart spinning out as Spyro blazed past. Spyro smirked as he saw the finish line not far off. "Aw yeah! Sorry, all you loop natives! But it looks like this purple dragon has just—!"

...

_'What's that whooshing sound?'_

Spyro looked up, eyes wide in horror as a blue shell smacked into him from above.

* * *

**"Reversed Roles" pt 1: Legend Loop 2.9 (feat: AbZHz101)**

Spyro awoke to find himself back in the familiar swamp. Looking himself over and finding that he was still a purple dragon, Spyro prepared to follow his normal routine of getting ready for the day before sneaking out of the swamp to help Cynder. Those plans were brought to a screeching halt when he noticed that his armor was placed carefully, almost reverently, on a nearby tree to keep the pieces from becoming damaged.

Spyro knew that all three sets of his normal armor were in his subspace, which meant that these had to have been collected in-loop. However, before he could truly focus on that, he heard a familiar voice call out. "Spyro!"

Spyro turned to see Cynder loping toward him.

"What are you spacing out for?" she asked as she stopped beside him. "Dad told me that there are soldiers in the area. We've got to move soon."

When Cynder said the word 'Dad', Spyro's loop memories supplied him with an image of the last dragon he wanted to be in a five-mile radius of at any given time, much less have a familial bond with.

"Could you give me about ten minutes, Cynder, please?" he asked her. "I just need to get my head together."

"You're not sick, are you?" Cynder gasped. "Oh man, I knew we shouldn't have come here. Why is it you two like this place? You always end up sick or hurt when we come here and yet you insist that we come back!"

"Cynder!" Spyro snapped, his voice coming out tighter and louder than he had intended. Taking a calming breath, he continued more calmly. "I'm fine, Cynder. I just need to straighten some things up is all."

"Alright," Cynder conceded. "But don't take too long, we'll be cutting it close as it is. Got it, little brother?"

Spyro stared for a moment as Cynder sauntered away. Then, collecting himself enough to pull something out of his subspace, he retrieved his personal copy of _All about Looping_ and flipped to Chapter Eight: High-Variance Loops. Thankfully there was a bulleted section summarizing everything at the very beginning to act as refresher for loopers in need of advice and stretched for time. Instantly his eyes flicked to the fifth bullet, which someone had replaced with a star at some point.

"If you suspect that you are in a High-Variance Loop, please review all of your in-loop memories. If the world is acceptable to your expectations, treat as a normal. If the loop seems to not be acceptable, please subvert the loop **in a way which does not bring about a loop crash!** We are serious. We will stick you in the Safe-Mode server that you hate the most if you intentionally crash a loop."

So, with that in mind, Spyro ran through his loop memories, as far back as they could go. He couldn't believe it. From the beginning there was Malefor, acting, dare he say it, _like a parent_. Spyro could even admit that he acted somewhat decently; he wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but he _tried_. Spyro doubted that the Malefor he knew would have the patience or desire to set up himself so highly to two young dragons as he attempted to destroy the world. He knew that the Dark Master would never allow himself to suffer the indignity of children painting doodles on his hide, especially if some of those children had not even been dragons. No, the Dark Master would never have stooped so low as to consort with lesser species.

But still, something was wrong. His younger self didn't notice, for one, that Malefor was trying to keep them out of it... Whatever _it_ was. Understandable, as parents were _supposed_ to try and keep their children safe. But there were thousands of little clues that his in-loop self hadn't noticed because, for him, they were normal. For Spyro, who, if his timeline had been laid out in one loop, was old enough to be considered a master of Fire, Ice, Earth, and Electricity, they were plain as day.

Here his in-loop family had always been dodging 'soldiers', and originally it had been a game of 'Hide and Seek' as they slid from one location to the next. Spyro noticed from his memories that he was starting to get to the age where he was questioning certain things, especially some of the older scars on 'Dad's' scales. It was hard to scar dragonhide, as many of Spyro's adventures both in and out of loop could attest.

He would go along with the Loop for now, but he needed more information.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.0**

It was still rather early on in the loop for Spyro, and for now he had decided to mostly keep things baseline. He had a rather funny plan later on for a prank that involved Ripto, a bucket of shaving cream, and complex system of ropes and pullies, but until then he had nothing better to do than rescue the dragons. He checked his atlas, making sure he had gotten everything he usually had by that point. Smirking, he went over to the nearby pool and started jumping on the stones.

All he had left to do now was the speedway. Typically in the loops, he'd handle the speedways last. Not that he didn't like them or anything, quite the contrary. Although it was easy for him to get quick times on them now, he still liked the glorified obstacle courses and how he could blaze through them. It was just that he had gotten into that habit when it came to handling things baseline.

The secret 'passage' opened to reveal the hidden portal, and Spyro was quick to jump in. A quick trek through the portal mini-dimension and Spyro found himself once again at the start of the first of many speedways on his journey. Spyro was quick to check the score board...and promptly did a double-take.

_Sunny Flight Speedway record - 0:10.00 - RD_

Spyro narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he felt like he and Sparx weren't the only loopers in this loop.

* * *

_Night Flight Speedway record - 0:10.00 - RD_

_Twitch_

* * *

_Crystal Flight Speedway record - 0:10.00 - RD_

_Twitch_

* * *

_Wild Flight Speedway record - 0:10.00 - RD_

_Twitch twitch_

* * *

_Icy Flight Speedway record - 0:10.00 - RD_

_Twitch twitch twitch_

Sparx looked at the record and promptly scratched his head.

"I can understand her wanting to get the records for the speedways after we met her in that fused loop, but what's up with the whole 'ten seconds flat' thing?"

Sparx glanced over to Spyro, rolling his eyes. Spyro was sitting on the hill with a blank expression on his face, his eye occasionally twitching and his gaze glued to the scoreboard. Sparx sighed. He'd had the feeling that, with all the crazy stuff other loopers from different loops could pull off, this would happen eventually. Compared to that _other_ Spyro they had met a few loops back, his Spyro prided himself on his abilities and had a rather big ego to go along with it.

So if there was one thing he could _not_ stand, it was someone being better at something than him.

"You going to be alright?"

Spyro stood frozen for a few seconds before he finally scowled. "Sparx, I think I know what we're going to be doing for the next few loops."

As Spyro turned around and started to walk off, Sparx face-palmed and let out a long sigh.

* * *

On top of a nearby hill, Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself. True, she could have gotten a much lower time than ten seconds for all of these speedways, but she didn't want to _completely_ discourage Spyro. Considering, from the time he spent in his first fused loop in Equestria, she could gather the dragon thought of himself rather highly. As such, it was going to be rather fun knocking him down a few pegs.

Now she only wondered how long she could keep this up before he rage-quit and tried to end the loop like that time he tried to fight the non-awake Discord.

* * *

**Reversed Roles pt 2. (Legend Loop 2.9 continued) (Feat: AbZHz101)**

This time they hadn't evaded the soldiers. Malefor had insisted on using an earth technique to make their footsteps all but non-existent until they could get out of the swamp. However, they just seemed to always stop just short of running into a soldier, forcing them to turn around to find another way through. There hadn't been, and soon enough Malefor, Spyro and Cynder found themselves boxed in by six dragons in one of the swamp's clearings. From the smug look that one of the earth dragons had, it seemed obvious who was responsible for that.

"Well, well, well," said a fire dragon with a pompous attitude and slightly better armor than usual. "The _legendary_ runaway slave, Malefor, and his two disappeared eggs."

Malefor grimaced at his own mocking title and snarled when the fire dragon mentioned Spyro and Cynder.

"Now, now, play nice and General Ignitus might just be willing to be lenient. Broken bones and shackles instead of putting your head on the pike it deserves, perhaps. And, of course, your whelps will know the joys of serving one who is above them. I'm sure that daughter of yours would enjoy learning all the right moves—"

Things came to a head at that moment. Spyro's mind had been flying, trying to process the nuggets of information that was hidden in the dung the fire dragon was spewing from his mouth. Quite a few things clicked into place, and while it made Malefor look better, it made the world itself look intolerably worse. He didn't miss the feeling that someone was channelling earth mana into the ground surrounding his and Cynder's paws. It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen next. Unfortunately for the trapper, Spyro had trained under Terrador, who was much better with utilizing the earth as a tool.

Just as Malefor roared at the fire dragon, Spyro knocked Cynder towards him before using his Snake Skill to evade the trap in the opposite direction. A moment later, too late, the earth rose up to encase empty air.

"Idiot!" the fire dragon roared at his earth subordinate. "You four, catch that whelp! Keep him alive, he's worthless as a hide." Then he turned to the fear dragon in the group. "With me, focus your attacks on the girl. Her father won't let harm come to her and we'll wear him out that way."

The fear dragon nodded silently and the two began circling Malefor and Cynder, while a larger circle of four began to surround Spyro. It was an unfair fight. One dragon should have been enough for a single whelp, let alone four. It was their commander's way of taking all the credit for the capture they were sure was soon to follow. But what they didn't know was that they weren't facing a whelp who had never more than play-fought in his entire life. They were dealing with a veteran of multiple wars, who had faced far worse odds than four to one and had come out victorious, who had been trained by the best masters of his generation and was probably a master himself. He had also grown up in a swamp nearly identical to this one.

They would need more dragons.

The earth dragon pounced at Spyro from behind, but, with only a minor look at the other three to keep track of their location, Spyro used his backwards Snake Skill and back-flipped under the attack. As his feet hit the ground, he grabbed the tail of the earth dragon before the bigger dragon could steady himself, and began to spin. Spyro twirled the dragon around once and then threw him at the dragon to his left, spitting out an ice shard to give chase. Then he unleashed his electric breath, which hit the dragon to his right and arced from his target to hit the other three dragons as well.

Figuring that would keep them legs over wings for at least a few minutes, Spyro ran over to help Malefor and Cynder. He saw the fear dragon gathering energy to use in a manner similar to his own earth breath. Spyro wasn't going to let that happen. One moment he was near the four dragons that he had taken down, the next there was a streak of flame across the clearing and Spyro's horns had sent the fear dragon sailing into the local fauna, some of which attacked back.

 _"What are you?"_ the fire dragon snarled at the purple whelp that had destroyed his vision of glory.

Deciding to pull a leaf out of Classic's playbook, Spyro put on a confident if somewhat confused smile and replied, "I'm just a purple dragon," in the same manner that one would explain one plus one equals two, or that the sky was blue.

The fire dragon snarled and threw himself at Spyro in an attack of intermediate skill, rather impressive for someone his age, but so far beneath Spyro's level to be laughable. In an instant, Spyro slipped his enemy's guard and broke the fire dragon's roots, causing the arrogant soldier to half front-flip and land back-first. Now with an opening to the sky, the family of three took to their wings, but the fire dragon wasn't done. Still in the process of getting up, he bellowed a gout of flames at Cynder.

But Spyro was still in battle mode and was in between the attack and Cynder before anyone could blink. Then, in a feat of fire manipulation, he sucked in a breath and with it ate the entirety of the attack, magically dissipating the flames in his lungs. Then he retaliated with his own flames, a carefully controlled inferno compared to the fire dragon's wild campfire. The attack knocked the Fire Dragon out cold and the three airborne dragons fled, none of the soldiers willing to pursue.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.1**

"Good news, everyone!" the Professor said, walking out of his lab and into the main room. "I think I've finally figured out what's behind this strange time anomaly!"

Spyro smirked. "Uh, yeah. Already figured that out. Besides, might be better if you hold off on the explaining until you get back to your home loop."

"Eh—wah?" Professor 'Hubert' Farnsworth said, looking blankly at the purple dragon.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.2**

"Girls, the mayor just called about some sort of 'gnorc' thing turning everyone into stone!" the Professor said, darting out of his lab.

Spyro looked at him flatly. "Yeah, already took care of that. Welcome to the Multiverse, by the way."

"Huh?" Professor Utonium said, giving the purple dragon a strange look.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.3 (feat: UkeleleNarwhal)**

"Pokemon, Pokemon everywhere! But where are all the people!?" the Professor said, walking out of his lab.

"Professors, professors everywhere! But where is _my_ Professor!?" Spyro mimicked, a snarky grin on his face.

"Wha—?" Professor Oak said, scratching his head in confusion.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.4**

"Yowzer! It's complete! The Poltergust 3000 is complete!" the Professor said, running out of his lab with what appeared to be a vacuum on his back.

Spyro smirked. "Who ya gonna call?"

"Oh... uh... The Mario Bros?" Professor 'Elvin' Gadd replied, scratching his cheek.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.5**

"Oh my. It would seem I have looped in to a rather peculiar world this time," the Professor said, walking out of his lab.

By this point, Spyro had taken to setting up a beach chair so he could relax while he waited for the many Professors to exit the lab. "Your first clue?"

"Well, actually, it was the glowing tubes that apparently did nothing," Professor 'Hershel' Layton said, crossing his arms as he gave a warm smile.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.6**

"It...lives! They said I was crazy! But I showed them!" the Professor said, rushing out of his lab. "After months of slaving and headaches, I have created _super toast!_ "

Spyro blinked before he turned to Sparx. "I swear, they're getting weirder by the second."

"It's not weirdness! It's _science!_ " Professor Membrane said, rushing back to the lab.

Not a second later, an explosion was heard from within. Spyro face-palmed.

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.7**

"Spyro! So good to see you!" the Professor said, walking out of his lab. "I don't know why, but lately I've been getting the darndest sense of déjà vu..."

Spyro paused, raising his head from the beach chair as he looked at the Professor with wide eyes. "Wait... You actually remember me?"

"Of course I do," said the Professor, straightening his glasses. "Why wouldn't I?"

Spyro shook his head before looking at Sparx. Not a second later, he looked back at the Professor and pulled one of his extra copies of _All About Looping_ out of his subspace.

"Here," he said, handing it to the Professor. "You might want to read this."

The Professor grabbed the book, eyeing it curiously before he began to read through it. As he did so, Spyro looked over to Sparx.

"You know, Sparx," Spyro said, sitting down. "After all the Professors we've encountered in the loops, I'd rather have our Professor looping any day."

* * *

**Fused Loop 1.2 (Feat: Masterweaver)**

"...We never speak of this loop," Legend growled.

"Agreed," muttered Cynder.

"Fine by me," Classic grumbled.

Ember sighed. "Well, alright, if you all insist. But you two are still our kids and school is still in session." She pulled a pair of paper bags out of the fridge and handed them to Cynder and Legend. "I made you _luuuuunchiiiies!"_

Cynder gave her a flat look. "Ember? Don't do that thing with your voice."

* * *

**Legend Loop 3.8**

There were many things in these loops did that Spyro liked and disliked. It was always a flurry of emotions for him. He hated the idea of having to relive the war, but even the trickiest of battles during his many adventures had become trivial to him thanks to his many loops of experience. The only real enemy he faced when he went through these 'vanilla' loops that could still give him a run for his money was Malefor himself, but that was a completely different story.

Though he was originally angry about how Cynder was dragged into this mess, it eventually gave way to joy when she managed to find a way to escape her fate. It still wasn't perfect, not yet. He was still working on a way to get to the unawake Cynder before she ever got cursed into that form, but at least even then he had managed to find a way to shorten her time in that form greatly. It was very much a rollercoaster of emotions for him, but there was always one thing he was thankful for.

Spyro smiled as he walked along the path through the swamp towards the Dragon Temple. He could still remember his first loop despite the countless number of times he'd looped since. The pain and confusion it had caused, the feeling of helplessness...and the small spark of joy, despite all that, at getting to see his mentor again. If there was one dragon on Spyros 'people to save' priority list that was right next to Cynder...it was Ignitus.

Ignitus had always been there for him. He was always there to ease the burden as much as he could. Even though he wasn't awake, he always had something new and wise to say to the purple dragon. Spyro looked up to him, dare he say, even more so than his adopted father. Maybe it was because he was also a dragon, but regardless, he held his mentor in high regards.

This, however, always made the end of the loop sting even more. In the baseline, Ignitus sacrificed himself so he and Cynder could make it through the Belt of Fire. That was so long ago thanks to these loops, and yet it was something he would never forget for the rest of his life. Hearing his mentor howl in pain as he was burnt alive... Spyro shuddered just thinking about it.

These loops had given him a second chance, though, much like they had for Cynder. Though saving his mate was top priority, making sure his mentor didn't burn to a crisp was a very close second. With years of elemental experience under his belt, Spyro could easily help Ignitus get past the Belt of Fire. But even when he managed to accomplish such a feat, whatever forces were at work seemed determined to make sure Ignitus would not make it to the loop's end.

Whether it be him trying to protect them from an elite enemy, trying to hold off hordes and hordes of smaller ones, or, rarely, even trying to assist in battling Malefor... Ignitus would never see the world being repaired. Even when, through some stroke of luck, Ignitus had survived all that, once Spyro pulled the world back together again, Ignitus was nowhere to be seen. Spyro sighed, closing his eyes as he walked.

Was he doing something wrong? He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that, even though it was a long ways off, if he couldn't figure out how to save his mentor before these loops ended, he would never get another chance like this again...

He felt a gentle wing placed over him. He looked over to see Cynder staring at him with a concerned look. Spyro smiled, nuzzling his mate. If nothing else, he was with a loved one for the time being.

Continuing on their way through the swamp, having done this enough times to know exactly where he was, he was about to round the corner where he would encounter his mentor for the first time. He smiled slightly. At the very least, he could enjoy the time he had with Ignitus before the loop ended. But as he rounded the corner, he paused.

Where there should have been an adult dragon standing there, there wasn't. Spyro blinked, glancing over to Cynder before looking back at the vacant spot.

"Wha... Where's Igni—?"

He was interrupted by a roar that pierced the surrounding area. Spyro and Cynder hunkered down. Spyro knew that roar.

"It's coming from the Dragon Temple! _Hurry!_ " Spyro exclaimed, darting off down the path as fast as his paws would carry him.

* * *

Spyro paused as he came across the temple. Oddly enough, the doors were wide open this time. Cautiously, he nodded to Cynder and they slowly made their way through. Spirit gems littered the ground as they walked, no signs of life anywhere. Finally, as they made their way to the training room, they paused at the sight before them.

Ignitus stood his ground as he tossed the final ape against a wall and it burst into spirit gems from the impact. Ignitus panted as he tried to steady himself. Turning around, his eyes went wide when he saw them.

"Spyro! Cynder! Something terrible has happened!" Ignitus said, rushing over to them. "I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but Malefor's back! I can't find the other guardians anywhere, either! I'm not sure what kind of trickery he's pulled, but—"

Spyro tuned out his mentor as he stood expressionless. He tried to say something, but no matter how he tried, nothing would come out. He began to shake, though it wasn't from fear or rage. He blinked, pinching himself slightly to make sure this wasn't a dream. When he felt the stinging sensation on one of his legs, he was confronted by a fact he couldn't believe.

Ignitus was awake.

"I'm sorry about all this. After everything you two have been through, I wish there was another way. You two are the only ones who managed to stand up to Mal— _!_ "

Ignitus' ramblings where interrupted when he felt something grab onto his leg. Glancing down, he saw Spyro hugging one of his forelegs, a smile on his face as tears started to form in his eyes. Spyro couldn't believe it. It was like the first loop he'd gone through all over again, only this time, it wasn't loop Ignitus. It was _his_ Ignitus.

* * *

**Reversed Roles pt. 3 (Legend Loop 2.9 continued) (Feat: AbZHz101)**

The family of three continued until the swamp where they had encountered the soldiers was hidden by the horizon. Only once they were sure that no one had picked up their trail did they look for a place to land. As they flew, Spyro thought about how he would explain what was going on. Explaining the loops to non-loopers... Well, it had worked well in the past. Then again, he had also heard horror stories about a 'Dumbledore' and memory wipes. While he was pretty sure neither Malefor nor the current Cynder had that particular capability, he couldn't completely guess as to how they would react.

Spyro stopped for a moment to examine his current line of thought. Here he was in a high-variant loop, about to explain things to the local versions of his worst enemy and his mate, both of whom were currently his family, and at no time did it cross his mind to lie. Loop memories flashed before his eyes, sometimes the images having ghostly images of his 'actual' family superimposed over the top, reinforcing—or perhaps it would be better to say reasserting—the fact that they were family. They didn't deserve to be lied to, they deserved the truth, though that still left the question of how he should explain this.

Approaching the mountains, they continued, soon enough finding a cave that would suit their current purposes. After the three descended into the cave, an awkward silence gripped them and no one was quite sure how to begin. It was Cynder who finally broke the silence. "Spyro... What's going on? What was all that back there?"

Spyro nervously glanced at the two waiting dragons before trying to begin. "I've been trying to figure out how to explain this all day, but I haven't figured out a particularly good way yet," Spyro admitted. "This is really strange but I swear that what I'm going to tell you is, to the best of my knowledge, true."

Spyro took a deep breath before continuing. "The reason why I was able to do those amazing things was because I'm currently living in a repeating history. Just one day I wake up and everything is completely different from when I went to sleep. It either resets or changes so completely that I cannot even fathom how it came to be. I have the memories of my 'past lives', I guess you could say, as well as before I became aware of the timeline shift. I remember my entire life with you, but also since this morning I have centuries, no, millennia of memories and experiences, many of them being trained by four older dragons in the ways of Fire, Earth, Ice, and Electricity. And, with them, the training and battle experience that such bestows."

Then, to prove it, he pulled _All about Looping_ back out of his subspace pocket. "...I've met others in the same situation that I'm in. We were given this to help explain our situation."

Then he realized that, because of their background, it was unlikely that they could read. Well, there was the flush of embarrassment.

"...Have you met other versions of us?" Cynder asked.

Spyro blinked, shocked by the statement, then shook himself. "Yes," he replied evenly. "You and I are always rather close."

Cynder smiled, her curiosity abated. Malefor, however, remained thoughtful, still looking at the book Sypro had procured from seemingly thin air. "And myself?"

When Spyro hesitated to respond, Malefor looked at the smaller dragon with a frown. "You haven't met other versions of myself?"

"No, it's not that..." Spyro said, trailing off.

"Then I don't see why you can't tell me what they were like. I'd much like to know how I compare."

"Trust me, you don't."

"Spyro, I am a grown dragon. I can make my own decisions. I realize that my past hasn't been the best but I would like to know." He paused before continuing. "I need to know if this world...if this is the best that we can strive for."

"It isn't," Spyro replied. "I know very little about the politics of this world, and already I know I have seen far better. Our first encounter with soldiers proved that."

"You're dodging my question," Malefor stated with a frown.

"Please," Spyro replied with tired eyes. "Let it go. I don't want..."

Malefor's frown deepened, but his eyes softened. "Alright, if you truly believe that I will be happier." Seeking to change topics, he thought back to what his son had said. "Fire, Earth, Ice, and Electricity," he mumbled, "...but not Convexity?"

"I know of it," Spyro replied, "but I have lacked someone to instruct me, so what I know is mostly from self-experimentation. And I often cannot truly practice it, because..." He turned his head away. "The last dragon who delved too deep became insane and tried to destroy the world. My teachers often fear my study of it."

Malefor began nodding at Spyro's explanation, as if comparing the new data to his own and finding them consistent. "Yes, I can see that. Convexity is not something to experiment with lightly. Its very nature is what allows its great power but also the way that so easily turns a dragon's motivations."

Spyro stared at him in shock.

"There are quite a few tales of the folly of those purples or blacks that used and fell to Convexity. I studied them rather extensively. I dare say, had I not had a theory as to why it so often happened, I most likely would have followed them. Convexity is...different. More than any other element, it requires the correct mindset, and the one it requires is very difficult to achieve even in controlled settings, much less in a fight."

"Could...could you teach me?" Spyro asked hesitantly. Then, looking at Cynder, he amended his question. "Could you teach us?"

"I admit, I had planned on waiting until you were older, but it seems that we might not have the time to wait," Malefor admitted. "Convexity, how interesting a name. It is often used in conjunction with lenses and mirrors, with bending light. Convex lenses draw all light behind it to one single point. Similarly, Convexity draws all our power to one place, but it also does so to our minds."

"The reason that this is a problem is because we often have parts of ourselves that we dislike; dark spots, if you will. And these too are magnified, along with everything else. This brings a greater contrast to these thoughts than what we are used to, meaning that it is more difficult to ignore the impulses. The shock often means that we fall to them, and the dark spots rapidly consume our normal mind. Often, when we see this, we try to 'increase the brightness', as it were, to drown out the dark with light. But when we do, we only end up increasing the contrast, making ourselves more vulnerable."

"Then what should we do?" Spyro asked, enraptured by the discussion and the potential to finally leash his Dark Form.

"Well, if increasing the contrast makes it worse, then what should make it better?" Malefor replied with a smile. At the look of dawning horror on Spyro's face, he began laughing. "I think you've half got it. We have to lessen the contrast. But not by falling to base instincts. Instead, we should seek to understand the where and why of those impulses and integrate them into our normal self. I've found that, often, by taking the same impulses that are so destructive if left alone and pointing them at a different target, they become much more beneficial."

"To best wield Convexity, you must be at inner peace with yourself, a state that I admit I have not currently reached. However, I am getting closer and, with it, I am less inclined to lose myself."

* * *

**Classic Loop 3.9: (A Heart of Crystal pt. 1)**

Ember awoke with a blink. Immediately, she knew something was off. She was still in her dragon body, that much she could assure herself on, at least. However, for once she hadn't awoken in her room. Scanning her surroundings, wherever she was, she concluded that it definitely wasn't the Dragon Realms.

Though the town she was in still had the bright and cheery charm of the realms, the houses around her were made of wood instead of Artisan-grade marble. Off in the distance, she could see rolling green fields not unlike the Artisans, but something about the nearby forest unnerved her greatly. The striking detail, however, was the population of miniature horses of all different colors of the rainbow.

Despite the rather saccharine look of this place, Ember gulped as she shuddered slightly. She'd known this would eventually happen, and was grateful that it was some place that didn't look too dangerous, but this was the first loop that she wasn't with her family.

 _'Okay, Ember. Calm down. Remember what the_ other _Spyro taught you,'_ she thought, trying her best to come off as unassuming to the beings around her. _'Check your 'in-loop memories' before anything else.'_

Proceeding to do so, she frowned slightly and wished she hadn't. From what they told her, she was a dragon that had come to live with the ponies in Ponyville because she just didn't fit in with her society. The dragons of this realm were a rather rowdy bunch. Her early life wasn't one of pleasure, having been teased and poked by the others because of her gentle nature. Her scales being bright pink hadn't helped matters much, either.

If nothing else, she could at least take solace in that her in loop parents had more or less been the same as her usual ones in that they had tried to protect and comfort her as much as they could. But, regardless, the damage had made its mark and Ember had become known as 'the wimpy pony lover' to her own kind the day she finally couldn't take it anymore and moved to a much nicer crowd.

She shook her head, pushing those memories as far back as she could before they could leave permanent trauma. Focusing on more recent events, she let out a sigh of relief. Though the crowd she was in was a bit wary of having a dragon among them—she could still feel a few of them giving her uneasy looks—they were much more accepting of her than her own kind. The fact that her early loop trauma had left her rather timid had helped. She sighed. At least that meant this loop wouldn't be nothing but torture.

However, the thing that unnerved her the most was that she had no in-loop memories of Spyro, nor of Sparx, Hunter, the other Spyro and his Sparx, or Cynder. From this, she could assume that none of them were here in this loop. Which meant, for the first time in her looping life, she was completely on her own.

Once again, despite her saccharine surroundings, she hunkered down and shivered, her blue eyes darting from left to right.

_'Alright, Ember. Just stay calm. At least you're in a peaceful place. Best thing you can do is just go along with what your pre-awake self did and ride the loop out.'_

With that thought in mind, she continued what her pre-awake self had been doing and continued her grocery shopping.

* * *

Ember walked along the path in an almost trance-like state, her mind focusing on more recent in-loop memories. Apparently, when it came to carrying over from her normal loops, she still liked to volunteer in childcare. Since there was no apparent daycare, though, this meant she spent most of her time helping out at the local schoolhouse. Understandably, considering the dragons of this world, most of the parents were rather apprehensive about a dragon being around their young. But the school teacher, Cheerilee, didn't seem to mind too much.

Her in-loop memories told her that Cheerilee was responsible for most of the town warming up to the pink dragoness, having seen the gentle nature in her that most wouldn't catch at a glance. Of course, her helping her out in teaching draconian history, a rare history not many ponies knew much about, probably helped, but that was a minor detail.

Currently, her in-loop memories told her that tonight was the Summer Sun Celebration, and as a result, school was closed for the holiday. Her in-loop self had planned to spend the day just keeping to herself. She wasn't even planning to attend the celebration. Ember frowned. She couldn't believe how reclusive her in-loop self was, but at the same time she couldn't exactly blame her, either. At the very least, she could try to be a bit sociable now that she was awake. How to go about it, though, considering her species didn't exactly have the cleanest track record, was going to be a thing.

"All I'm saying, Twi, is that having accessories is one thing. Walking around looking like you lost a fight with a jewellery store clerk is something completely different!"

Ember blinked before turning around. She was instantly met with quite possibly the oddest sight she had seen from this loop so far. Walking along the path was a lavender unicorn. Given what she had seen so far, that wouldn't be any different from the norm, but the fact that said unicorn was dressed up from head to heels with golden chains, a pair of over-sized shades, golden braces on her teeth, and an oversized cloak hanging around her neck was more than enough to raise some heads. Ember had no idea how the huge cloak didn't snap the unicorn's neck.

The unicorn looked down at the young purple dragon next to her with a grin, possibly blinding a few beings with those impossibly shiny braces.

"Ah am tellin' ya, Shpike! Theesh whill be tha new styl of tha futura."

The young dragon blinked before shaking his head. "You realize I can't even understand you with those ridiculous things in your mouth, right?" he said, crossing his arms. "Seriously, what's up with you lately? You've been acting weird ever since you read that book this..." Spike trailed off when he noticed the eavesdropper on the conversation.

The unicorn raised an eyebrow as the drake's mouth hung open. Following his train of sight, her eyes fell upon the pink dragoness. She blinked, though it was quickly followed by a friendly smile. "O', hhello. Fhe'llow loopa?"

Ember blinked. The unicorn glanced down at herself and then promptly blushed as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"O', shorri'," she said, before her horn began to glow. In a flash of light, all the outlandish things she was wearing disappeared. She gave a smile. "Again, sorry about that. I didn't realize we had an outside looper this loop."

She bowed before looking back at Ember. "You must be new to the loops. I've never seen you before, so that's a pretty good clue. I'm Twilight Sparkle, the local loop anchor, by the way. You can call me Twilight, though."

Ember paused for a few seconds. Quickly remembering her manners, she was quick to bow too. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ember. Just Ember, though."

"Well, nice to meet you, Ember," Twilight said before she raised a hoof towards the surrounding town. "Let me be the first one to welcome you to Equestria. We're a sanctuary loop, which means you can unwind and relax here. Just don't do anything too disruptive, though, as we can and will send you to the moon if you cause too much trouble."

Ember jumped slightly, quickly raising her paws in front of her as her eyes went wide. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that! I rarely ever do pranks in my home loop, and I don't generally like causing trouble, so..."

"Don't worry, we don't mean stuff like pranks and that," Twilight said, scratching the back of her head as she gave an embarrassed smile. "We mean stuff like destroying towns, seriously harming other loopers, assisting bad guys, that sort of stuff."

At this, Ember gave a slight sigh before she smiled. "Well, that you _definitely_ don't have to worry about with me."

"Well, that's good to hear," Twilight said, giving a more genuine smile. "In that case, enjoy your stay here in Equestria! As said, you're free to do whatever you like so long as it's nothing extreme." She sat down. "Anything in particular you want to do?"

Ember paused before she too sat down. "Well, I've never really been to this universe before, and this is my first time being in a loop without someone from my universe being there with me, so I was wondering if..." Ember said, glancing downward as she scratched the back of her neck. "If you could introduce me to some of the other awake loopers here?"

"Sure!" Twilight said, giving a smile. "Surprisingly, though, despite how many loopers there are in this world, there aren't that many who are awake at the moment." With that, Twilight got up and turned around. "Come on. I was just about to meet the others as per usual in my baseline, anyway."

Ember gave a smile as she got up and began to follow Twilight. She paused, however, as she glanced down. The small purple dragon who was with Twilight was looking up at her with eyes wide and jaw dropped. Ember glanced away awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.

"Um..."

"Huh? Oh!" the baby dragon exclaimed, a luminescent blush on his face as he glanced downward. "I-I'm Spike! Nice to meet you!" he blurted out without thinking before looking over to Twilight. "Uh, Twilight! Wait up!"

Twilight glanced back to see her currently unawake assistant rushing over to her with a blush on his face. She giggled. _'Looks like Rarity has some competition this loop.'_

Ember let out a slight chuckle before she was quick to catch up to them. With that, the group of three led by Twilight began their tour of the town. As she walked, Twilight raised an eyebrow and turned to Ember.

"Hey, Ember? Now that I think about it, _have_ we ever met before?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"I'm not sure... I don't know why, but your voice sounds oddly familiar to me..."

* * *

**Legend Loop 4.0:**

There were many things that Spyro had to learn to just get used to about the loops. The sheer repetition, Sparx's shenanigans, having to explain to his parents every other loop where the black dragoness came from and that, no, they weren't getting up to any 'shenanigans' while they weren't looking. But quite possibly the oddest thing he had to get used to was this variant that kept popping up every few loops or so.

"Wow! This is amazing!" said a yellow dragon with zig-zagging horns that blatantly screamed 'hey, dummy, this is a lightning dragon!' He darted about the Dragon Temple. "It's exactly like in the video games! This is amazing! Oh my god, it's my dream come true!"

Spyro let out a frustrated sigh, placing a paw over his face. "I still don't get this... I mean, they're not even loopers! Why do they keep popping up so much!?"

"Beats me," Cynder said, shaking her head as she closed her eyes. "At least he has a fairly normal element this time, and not something ridiculous like blood or acid." Cynder glanced over to Spyro out of the corner of her eye. "All I know is that I babysat the last 'human-turned-dragon' last time one showed up. This loop, it's your turn."

"Wouldn't be so bad if they just kept to themselves, but _no_. They just _have_ to try to play hero," Spyro muttered, placing his paw on his forehead. He already felt a headache coming on.

"Yeah, because when you know next to zero about combat in your _normal_ form and are in a completely new body that makes even _walking_ hard on you, _clearly_ you're the number one choice to take on an army," Sparx said, crossing his arms as he watched the human-turned-dragon trip over himself. "We should at least be grateful that only one shows up a loop and they can't loop themselves. Otherwise our world would probably be populated by more humans-turned-dragons than _actual dragons._ "

Spyro took a deep breath, rubbing his temples. At least he could easily deal with any problems their attempts to 'help' caused, but it still made their constant whining about him stealing their thunder not any easier in the slightest. The constant attempts to hit on either Cynder or him depending on their gender—or preferences—didn't help much, either.

He sighed. At least it was no worse then the loops where, defying all logic and reason, there was _another_ purple dragon in the loop despite the whole 'once every ten generations' rule. Somehow they _always_ ended up somehow being his brother or his sister, whose shenanigans made Classic seem _tame_ by comparison. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. At least they seemed more contained then the humans-turned-dragons...

Suddenly, one of the walls to the Dragon Temple burst open and an impossibly slender female figure stood through the dust cloud. All it took was one look at the figure's purple scales to make Spyro's left eye begin to twitch uncontrollably.

"Oh my god, it's, like, totally my brother, like, O.M.G, I thought I'd never find you, we're going to take on this war together and with my powers that are so rare even by purple dragon sta—!"

_'Ancestors damnit!'_

Resisting the urge to start smashing his head against the wall, Spyro let out a long, exasperated groan as he held his forehead in both paws. Cynder could only look at the newcomer with wide eyes before she shook her head.

"She looks exactly like me!" Cynder said, closing her eyes as she too face-pawed. "Why do _all_ the female variant dragonesses always end up looking _exactly_ like me except with different scale colors!?"

Legend shook his head, watching as his 'sister' ran over to the human-turned-dragon and the two began to banter on about who the latest superstar was and how they'd end up kicking Malefor's butt in the next few days. Giving a deep sigh, he turned to Cynder.

"Cynder?"

Cynder turned her head. "Yes, Spyro?"

"I'm normally not one to suggest this, but how about, the next loop we're both awake for, we just say balls to the war up until Malefor attempts to blow up the planet?" Spyro asked, a paw on his forehead in a failed attempt to quell his growing headache. "I'm going to be in _desperate_ need of a vacation after this loop..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And there we have it. The first 'filler' of the Infinite Loops. Depending on how it's received, we might do a few more of these in while the mega-arc is going in the future. Also, take note how some chapters have '(!)' next to their title. That indicates that it's part of a 'mega-arc', and not just snip based shenanigans like this. Felt it was a good way for those who want to read mega-arcs and those who want snip based shenanigans to distinguish from one another.
> 
> Also, trying out a new format for this. Nothing too different, only this time it makes it so I'm not struggling to have one Classic loop for one Legend loops and visa-versa. Also allows for 'running gag' loops like the Professors you saw above.
> 
> Also, sorry if this chapter was a bit 'cross-over gag' heavy. The way we write for these loops is through a Forum thread, so as such it makes it a tad bit hard gage just how many cross-over gags there are in a chapter. (Though, I was the prime offender here...) I promise future snip shenanigans won't end up like this. 
> 
> Anyways, tell me what you think of this filler chapter? Nice change from the mega-arc? Or does it break the flow a bit? As said, depending on how this goes, we might do this again in the future.
> 
> Snips:
> 
> 2.8: Where's a Mega Horn when you need it?
> 
> 2.9 Reversed Roles: Quite possibly the only time Legend would take advice from Malefor.
> 
> 3.0: And you thought the flight-based trials in the original trilogy were already gruelling.
> 
> Loops 3.1 through 3.7: Professors. Professors everywhere.
> 
> Fused 1.2: On the bright side, at least it's a break from the war.
> 
> 3.8: Even when you're technically older than them, having a looping parental figure is always welcomed.
> 
> 3.9: To be fair, I'm sure a lot of other voices sound oddly familiar to these two.
> 
> 4.0: ... /coughs/


	15. Thirty ancient evil pile-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments below.)

**Legend 15.1**

"Sparx?" Legend asked, narrowing his eyes at his adopted brother.

"Yes, Spyro?" Sparx asked, glancing upward as he scratched the back of his head.

"Why is Cyril currently building a mini-fort to protect himself from 'the eggplant people from Zylous seven'?"

Spyro glanced over flatly to the fort that housed the currently shaking guardian of ice. Shaking his head, he glanced back at Sparx. Sparx chuckled nervously, poking his index fingers together as he averted his eyes.

"...Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I was trying to set up a booby trap for the apes that would cause them to get avalanched by eggplants, then Cyril accidentally triggered it, I ended up getting encased in one of said eggplants, and then one thing kind of led to another..."

Spyro sighed, shaking his head. As if the guardians worrying about being invaded by apes on a daily basis every loop wasn't bad enough...

* * *

**Classic 15.2**

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite dragon!"

Spyro rolled his eyes as he walked up to Moneybags. Even in baseline, Spyro had never really been big on Moneybags. Dragons had a natural tendency to horde gems, and Moneybags was a greedy bear who wouldn't let him progress until he gave him gems. It only seemed natural he'd be easily annoyed by him, and yet there were many other reasons he didn't particularly care for the bear, especially since looping meant he got an endless supply of gems.

Holding innocent animals hostage, helping bad guys if it meant gems for him, trying to keep a baby dragon egg to sell later... Those were merely a few things Moneybags was infamous for. It more or less went without saying, but getting to beat Moneybags up for the latter of those offenses was always an event Spyro looked forward to. Nonetheless, Spyro shook his head, noting that Moneybags was getting to the end of his usual speech.

"Of course, I _could_ extend the bridge for a _nominal_ fee..."

Spyro paused, placing a claw to his chin. If anything, it was faux move as Spyro debated what to do this loop. While true, he could have just shook Moneybags up enough to make him extend the bridge, doing such things was usually frowned upon by the looping populace. Spyro could have spent the entire loop pranking Moneybags as a way to get back at him, but he knew from experience that such a thing only provided temporary amusement...

Spyro smirked, putting his claw on the ground as he got on all fours. "Nah, that's okay. I got this."

Moneybags' jaw dropped as he watched Spyro spread his wings and fly across the gap. Spyro looked back, giving a grin.

Pranking Moneybags might have been a fleeting enjoyment, but seeing his face whenever he managed to find a way around paying him was always priceless.

* * *

**Legend 15.3 (Arms and Armor pt. 1) (Feat: AbZHz101)**

Ignitus stared at Spyro with wide eyes. "You're...you're alive!"

Then the weight of the world reclaimed the great red dragon and he returned to his depression. Spyro hated to see his mentor like this.

"But it's too late. Too late. And even if it weren't..." Ignitus chuckled mirthlessly. "What could I do? My lance is shattered, my armor scattered, my will trampled."

Then Ignitus closed his eyes and turned away from Spyro with the words, "Be gone, cruel phantom! My failures live with me to this day! You are not necessary!"

With that he blew a hot wind at Spyro and Sparx, launching them out of the cave. Spyro awoke as he landed in a heap.

"What was that all about?"

The strange events had left him unsure as to what to do. Should he help Cynder, who didn't seem to be awake this loop, or should he figure out what was wrong with Ignitus?

"Who cares?" Sparx asked. "The guy obviously doesn't want us bothering him. And I say, if he wants to be that way, then fine, we'll let him."

"Sparx," Spyro began. "I can't help but feel that there is more going on here than we know. Didn't you notice how he seemed to think me a conjuration?"

"Yeah, and?" Sparx retorted. "He also went off about a lance, armor, and failure. And really bro, why do you care? I mean, sure he might look a bit like you, but come on! That was just plain rude!"

"Lance... Armor..." Spyro muttered as his mind began making connections. "Hey, Sparx! Do you remember that armor that was scattered all over the swamp that we had to clean up last winter? Do you think those could have been his?"

"Eh, maybe," Sparx replied with a shrug. "But what's it matter? The dude clearly doesn't want anything to do with us."

"I don't believe that, Sparx," Spyro stated. "And I think that armor might just prove that we aren't merely phantoms."

With that, Spyro ran off to where the dragonflies had taken the huge armor, having been unable to destroy it. Thankfully, it was close by. Since he was awake, he was much stronger, and he had been mainly the one to drag the wretched things to their current resting place to begin with! Steeling himself, Spyro pushed the rattling pile forward, the metal making a surprising amount of noise on the muddy ground. As Ignitus came out of his cave to see the source of the racket, he narrowed his eyes at Spyro.

"We found your armor!" Spyro pointed out hopefully. "And your lance...though, we couldn't fix it," he finished somewhat lamely.

"You are a persistent one, aren't you?" Ignitus said. "What is it that you want?" Ignitus pressed forward, snarling. However, when he stepped on the broken lance he stopped, eyes wide. ""My lance... My armor... This is real! You're real!"

"Yeah, and we'll just be going now," Sparx said as he ineffectually tried to grab Spyro's horns and turn him away.

"Just a moment!" Ignitus pleaded. "I'm...I'm sorry that I mistook you for hallucinations meant to torment me...and that you went though all this trouble for me. The least I can do is offer what little hospitality I can, especially in these dark times." He picked up the entire pile and beckoned them inside. "I fear the skies are not safe."

As Spyro and Sparx followed Ignitus in, Sparx asked him, "What's with the armor, anyway? I mean, it's hard enough finding something that hurts Spyro here, but you..."

"There is more to your question than what you know," Ignitus replied. "Dragons, such as myself and young Spyro here, have scales strong enough to protect us from any natural weapon, even our own teeth and claws. Then, long ago, one of our own fell into evil, the Dark Master, and took with him many of our kind. The dragons who remained true rose up against his tyranny, and both sides found to our mutual dismay that we were unable to wound the other. Eventually, we found tools, weapons that could pierce our enemies' hides, and more importantly our own. We knew that if we had discovered such advances, then it would be perhaps one or two battles at most before they did as well."

Ignitus sighed, remembering terrible lessons burned into his memory from childhood. "It became a terrible race, then, as both sides tried to secure better weapons and armor. We gained the alliance of the moles, the best damn craftsmen and women in all the Realms. They took the apes, brutish but terrifyingly clever in their own way."

Again Ignitus sighed, the story emotionally draining what little hope he had left.

"Then, in my father's time, the last of the Dark Master's remaining dragons fell, the evil one killed by a fluke a generation prior. We thought we had won. We thought that we could know peace." Ignitus chuckled bitterly again. "Oh, how wrong we were."

"Servitude had not made the apes grateful to we who saw ourselves as liberators. Instead, they saw it that we had killed their protectors and clients both to the last, thus did they take up the Dark Master's cause. It should have been easy to vanquish them, but even as a shade the Dark Master empowered his servants...so long as they were of use. He granted them powers to call upon things which should never have been, and they too could rip an unprotected dragon asunder..."

Ignitus carefully began to polish one of the pieces of his armor. "This armor was my lifeline on the battlefield, the physical symbol of my devotion to my kin, of my duty to protect them... And then, just before you were hatched, the apes attacked our temple where all the eggs, including your own, were being kept. I was only able to save one egg that day, and from then on my failures only continued to mount.

"We launched a counter-offensive against the apes and, for a time, it looked as though we would win... Then Cynder came. Where she came from, I know not, but she is a black dragon that forced me to watch as one-by-one my comrades, the other guardians and commanders in our army were plucked from the battlefield. She also came for me. I escaped, but at great cost... My lance snapped, our forces no doubt routed and in disarray, and unable to do anything as my closest friends and subordinates were taken before my eyes... I foolishly discarded them, unable to stand the shame they reminded me of." Ignitus gazed forlornly at the metal and into his own reflected eyes.

"Um... Sir," Spyro began, careful not to say his mentor's name before it had been given. "I also found some other armors that fit me. Are they important?"

"May I see them?" the fire dragon asked. "And my name is Ignitus, young dragon."

He watched as Spyro pulled his three armor sets out, thinking that they had been hidden amongst his own armor.

"Oh, yes," he said, looking at the three complete sets. "I know these rather well. They are all mole-made, impeccable craftsmanship...if impersonal."

He picked up the gold helmet almost fondly. "These were given to members of my own division, which was led under my father before me. The Fire Lancers... Designed to protect against the lance's immense recoil, our dives were something to behold. And, if required, we'd smash a siege tower or two...each. When I led them, I would hand out each set personally... One of the ways that I would grow closer to my corps."

He then moved on to the silver armor. "Hmm... Probably made for a member of the Earth Demolition division. If we would tear something down from above, they would destroy it by its very foundations. Their flails always struck true."

Then he turned to the fury armor and his countenance grew grim.

"The oldest of the lot," he began, looking as if he had been forced to swallow something very sour. "From a desperate time. That armor was given to recruits in the days when the Dark Master still breathed. Our elders were desperate... It is a powerful armor to be sure, but they did not tell the soldiers of all its powers. Young dragons would enter Fury and destroy a platoon on their own...but would almost inevitably die when they stopped. It was during one of these Furies that the Dark Master was felled...by my own grandfather. He lived long enough to be elevated to a minor noble status, one which would apply to all his family before he moved on to the next life. Be careful when using it, Spyro... That armor has claimed many lives, and more than just a few were on our side."

Spyro gulped at the dark history that his fury armor had this loop.

"Still, though, it is a shame," Ignitus muttered.

Spyro wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear that, but his curiosity had been piqued nonetheless. "What is?"

"You are just about the age when young noble dragons would have their personal armor commissioned."

"I'm a noble?" Spyro asked.

"Even if you weren't, the fact is that purple dragons such as yourself only appear once every ten generations... Not only that, but there have been prophecies and legends telling of the kind of power that a purple dragon would wield... Had the chain of nobility remained and you been born to 'common' parents, the greater houses would have been jumping over themselves to be the first to find even the most distant blood connection to you and bring you into their fold. Removing them is likely one of the few truly good things that has come about from this whole mess."

* * *

**Classic 15.4**

Spyro's eye twitched as he tapped his claw on the ground. His magic command line brought up, he had spent what felt like the past half hour working on this single project in hopes that it would make his base loop easier. However, no matter what he attempted, he would always be presented with the same line of 'coding.'

"Nice try, ya stupid dragon!"

Spyro let out an exasperated groan before banging his claws against the portal frame with his eyes closed and a scowl on his face. If there was one part of his baseline loop he always dreaded, it had to be this. He sighed before glancing over to Sparx. The dragonfly had a frown on his face.

"Don't worry, I packed the in-flight snacks," he said, heading in front of the portal.

Spyro's countenance drooped as he dragged himself over to the portal. Taking a few seconds of reprieve, Spyro jumped through the portal with a frown. There were many things Ripto loved to pull to torment dragons in his attempts to take over the realms, but...

_'... Loading, please wait..._

_... Error. Redirecting..._

_... Loading, please wait..._

_... Error. Redirecting...'_

...Nothing compared to breaking the portal transit system so it took forever to get to one's intended destination. Spyro groaned, his eyes drooping. Ripto's cruelty knew no bounds.

* * *

**Legend 15.5**

Being a guardian, Ignitus had seen many things in his time. Nothing compared, however, to seeing time repeat itself over and over again. Ignitus could only watch as Volteer and Cyril went through their usual bickering after Cyril had been saved. Try as he might, his attempts to keep a straight face were undermined as he looked on in wide-eyed curiosity. He looked down at Spyro and Cynder, Cynder's presence making this the only thing that was different this time. Ignitus blinked before shaking his head.

"Ahem, if you would excuse me..." Ignitus said, looking towards his fellow guardians. "I think I need to lay down for a moment. I think all this stress from the war is starting to get to me..."

Cyril and Volteer paused in their ramblings, turning to face Ignitus. Cyril was the first to raise an eyebrow, eyes full of concern.

"The war is weighing heavy on all of us, Ignitus," he began, giving Ignitus a concerned look. "However, this is a rare joyous occasion. The purple dragon of fate has finally revealed himself and it is thanks to him we are saved." Cyril tilted his head. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? We guardians may be old, but we're not _that_ old yet, I'll have you know."

Ignitus stood blank for a few seconds before he finally closed his eyes. "I know. It's just..." Ignitus let out a sigh and turned towards the door. "P-please excuse me."

Cyril and Volteer turned their heads towards each other before they watched Ignitus leave the room. Spyro looked on sadly before turning to the other two guardians.

"Please excuse me as well. I just remembered, I needed to check on something," Spyro said, quickly leaving the room after his mentor.

Cynder hesitated, looking on as Spyro left the room with a concerned glance. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Spyro knew Ignitus far better than she did, so she knew there wasn't much she could add if she tried to help. For now, it was best to stay back and let him work this out on his own.

Cyril paused before glancing over to Volteer with narrowed eyes. "I can't help but get the feeling this is your fault."

"My fault!?" Volteer exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Cyril. "How in the Dragon Realms are you able to assume that I was the cause of our companion's sudden stress!?"

"Well, for one, you ramble on like you've just discovered a new continent every time you discover something new. Clearly he's finally starting to get fed up with it."

" _I_ ramble on!? Need I inform you, you pompous excuse for a noblemen, that _you_ are the one who goes on about ice dragons like they are the ancestors' gift to dragonkind! I'll have you know that there is nothing more special about ice dragons than there is about dragons of any other element!"

"How dare you say that! I'll have _you_ know that if it wasn't for my ancestors—"

Cynder's expression went flat. Maybe Spyro and Ignitus wouldn't mind too much if she tagged along after all...

* * *

Spyro walked down the hall, glancing down any hallway he passed in search of his mentor. Finally, he heard a deep breath echo out through the corridor. Narrowing his eyes, he was quick to follow where it had come from. Rounding a corner to a nearby door, he saw Ignitus laying down with his eyes closed. Spyro frowned.

"Ignitus?" Spyro said, slowly making his way into the room.

Ignitus raised his head, looking towards Spyro. He did his best to put on a fake reassuring smile, but the stern look he got in return told him that Spyro didn't buy it for a second. Ignitus sighed.

"I'm sorry, Spyro. I should be the one who's comforting you through this, and yet..." Ignitus lowered his head.

"It's alright," Spyro said, walking over to Ignitus and laying down next to him. "The loops take a while to adjust to, especially the first few of them."

Ignitus glanced over to Spyro, raising an eyebrow. "You said you, Sparx, and Cynder have been looping for some time now. Exactly how long has 'some time' been?"

Spyro glanced upwards, placing a paw to his chin. Finally, he shook his head as he looked back at Ignitus.

"Honestly, I couldn't tell. I know the last major variant loops were, like, one hundred and twelve loops ago," Spyro said, closing his eyes. "If I had to make a guess, though, I'd say we're well past the one thousand mark by this point."

Ignitus' eyes went wide at Spyro's estimate before he closed them. Finally, he began to chuckle. Spyro raised an eyebrow as he looked at his mentor, Ignitus shaking his head as he looked back at Spyro.

"Forgive me," Ignitus said, giving a soft smile. "I just found the thought of my pupil technically being far older than I am now amusing."

At this, Spyro found it hard not to chuckle either. Shaking his head, he looked back at Ignitus. Ignitus sighed, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Ignitus said, lowering his head. "After everything you've been through, you and Cynder deserve to finally have peace. I wish there was something I could do to make these loops end."

"You know that's not possible," Spyro stated, closing his eyes. "You read the book I gave you. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault."

Spyro reopened his eyes, looking towards his mentor. "Besides, the war isn't too bad anymore. Cynder's managed to figure out a way to escape...you know," Spyro said, flinching a bit, "and we can easily handle most of the baseline problems now. Pretty much the only one who can still give us a challenge is Malefor. It's not perfect, but at least it's better than the first time around."

Spyro stood up, walking in front of Ignitus and smiling. "I've been trying my best to end the war earlier than it usually does at the end of the loop, to give us a peaceful rest before it starts over again."

Ignitus raised an eyebrow, raising his head to look at Spyro. "Any luck so far?"

"Well...not exactly," Spyro admitted, lowering his head. "Though I can usually take care of most of the forces in Malefor's army, the only way to end the war for good, it seems, is to take out Malefor himself." Spyro closed his eyes. "The earliest known instance of his escape from his prison in the baseline is the Night of Eternal Darkness, but..." Spyro sighed, looking Ignitus in the eyes. "I...I'm not sure if I can kill him yet."

Ignitus tilted his head. "What do you mean? Don't you usually beat Malefor at the end of the loop?"

"Not...not really," Spyro admitted, looking down. "Most of the time we just fight him to a standstill until the spirits of the ancestors show up and drag him off to who knows where." Spyro shook his head. "And every time we think we've finally gotten a read on him, he pulls some new trick out of thin air and we're back to square one."

Spyro raised his head, meeting Ignitus' eyes. "I know it may seem selfish to not even try, but I don't want to attempt to fight him earlier than normal until I know I can take him without the assistance of the ancestors, in case they don't show up."

Ignitus blinked before his expression softened. "Spyro, the ancestors will _always_ be there to assist you, even if it doesn't seem like it." Ignitus smiled. "You should never doubt them."

"I know, but still..." Spyro sighed. "I'd like to be sure that I can, if only for myself."

A silence soon followed as Ignitus watched Spyro looking down at the ground. Finally, Spyro raised his head. "Ignitus?"

Ignitus gave a smile. "Yes, Spyro?"

"Is it alright if you still continue to teach me about the element of fire, despite the loops?"

Ingnitus closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face. Sitting up, Ignitus looked down with the smile never leaving his face. "Of course, my student. I may not be sure of how much you've learned in my absence, so to speak, but I'll help wherever I can."

Spyro smiled, walking over to Ignitus and hugging one of his forelegs. Ignitus draped one of his wings over Spyro, the smile still on his face. Even if Spyro was technically older than he was now, it was nice to know that he still wanted him as his teacher, even in this recession of reoccurring time.

"...Oh! I almost forgot!" Spyro said, looking up at Ignitus. "If, during the loops, you encounter a purple dragon that looks almost exactly like me but acts like studying is the plague, I want you to know that he isn't me."

"Wha—?"

"Don't worry. You'll understand when you meet him..."

* * *

**Classic 15.6**

Professor Oak examined Spyro as if the little dragon was a tablet that held all the secrets to the universe. Cautiously, he raised his hand to put it on Spyro's head. Spyro frowned.

"In case you're wondering, no, I am not a Pokémon," Spyro said, giving Oak a flat glare. "So don't even _think_ about trying to shove me in a Pokéball."

Oak staggered back as Spyro began to talk. Spyro chuckled as Oak straightened his cloak as he tried to regain his composure. Unsure of what to say, Oak asked the first thing that came to mind. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

Spyro scowled, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think!?"

Oak paused, placing a hand to his chin. "Um... Girl?"

Spyro's left eye twitched. He was about to correct him, but he quickly paused. Shortly after, Spyro darted towards the woods and hid behind a bush.

A few seconds later, 'Spyra' came walking back out, her eye twitching and a scowl planted firmly on her face.

_'Dammit! Can't these loops make up their mind already!?'_

* * *

**Legend 15.7**

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were standing outside Malefor's lair. Spyro turned to Cynder, who was looking on with narrowed eyes. She gave a sigh. Spyro frowned.

"You going to be alright?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Yeah," Cynder said, taking a deep breath. "It's just that, no matter how many times we do this, it never fails to unnerve me."

Spyro draped a wing over her, giving her soft glance. "Don't worry. Hopefully, once we figure out all his tricks, we won't need to do this any more."

Cynder looked at Spyro, giving a nod as she turned back towards the door. With steel-like resolve, Spyro and Cynder pushed the door open to Malefor's lair, only the light from outside lighting their way. However, when they saw what was going on inside, they could only stop and stare with blank expressions.

"I told you once, you irritating ingrate, the Dark Master bows to no one!" Malefor bellowed, glaring down sharply.

It only took one glance at the dragon Malefor was yelling at for Spyro to already feel a headache coming on.

"Silence, you incipit fool!" the purple dragon that looked no older than Spyro himself demanded. Had it not been for the random red runes that translated to nothing but gibberish to those who could read it tattooed on his scales, Spyro would have thought it was Classic playing a prank. "I'm the one who's been controlling you this whole time! You bow down to me!

"Wait... How does that work?" Sparx muttered, looking down to both Spyro and Cynder. "Isn't Malefor, like, a millennia old? This yutz doesn't look any older than Spyro."

Getting a shrug from Cynder in response, Sparx turned to Spyro. Spyro just placed a paw over his eyes, letting out a groan. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Spyro jumped, looking around with wide eyes.

"What? The Destroyer isn't supposed to be here yet!" he exclaimed.

All of a sudden, the ground next to Malefor's throne gave way and a humanoid figure punched his way out, wearing heavy black armor with enough spikes on it to make Mega Man proclaim 'Screw this, I'm outta' here!'

 ** _"I LIVE!"_** the generic black knight proclaimed. **_"AFTER YEARS SPENT TRAPPED WITHIN THE PLANET, I LIVE ONCE AGAIN!"_**

Both Malefor and Purple McGibberish Rune glared at the newcomer, as Spyro, Sparx and Cynder looked on with blank expressions.

"Wait, aren't we on a floating island, though?" Sparx asked, glancing down to the two dragons while scratching his head.

Continuing to be ignored in favor of what was currently going on, Malefor looked at the newcomer with a scowl.

"And who, dare I ask, are you!?" Malefor demanded, taking the time provided in the distraction to knock McGibberish Rune aside.

 ** _"I AM THE TRUE DARK MASTER, FOOL!"_** the generically ancient evil entity proclaimed, taking out a sword that one would swear had a built-in fog machine. The black smog emitting from it likely wasn't good for the environment in the slightest.

"Preposterous! There is only one Dark Master!" Malefor proclaimed, baring his fangs. "That title belongs to I and I alone!"

 ** _"NEY!"_** the supposed true Dark Master proclaimed, pointing his sword at him. **_"A PAWN OF A PAWN CANNOT BE A DARK MASTER! FOR YOU SEE, I'VE BEEN CONTROLLING THAT WHELP WHO'S BEEN CONTROLLING YOU THIS ENTIRE TIME!"_**

As the supposed true Dark Master finished his claim, McGibberish Rune picked himself up and, faster than one could proclaim 'I call BS!', the left wall of Malefor's lair was blasted open and an armada of airships could be seen outside.

" _Malefor!_ " a voice echoed out, as an ape made the seemingly impossible jump from the airship all the way through the newly opened back entrance of Malefor's lair.

"Impossible!" Malefor bellowed, seething with rage. "I wiped all the apes out years ago!"

"Or so you thought!" the ape proclaimed. A pair of totally-not-Wolverine-inspired claws armed themselves from his knuckles. "But, unfortunately for you, you failed to take into account the apes you forgot about in the swamp!"

"I burned that swamp down years ago!" Malefor spat.

" _Not that swamp!_ " the ape said, stomping his foot. "The _other_ swamp! The swamp on the other side of the world!" The ape shook his head. "No matter! It doesn't matter how we survived, for now I, the son of Gaul and prince of the apes, will have revenge for all apekind!" Gaul's bastard child raised his claw up into the air. "And then we will take over the world!"

"Impossible! _I_ will be the one who takes over the world!" McGibberish Rune whined, hunkering down.

 ** _"NEY! THE WORLD BELONGS TO ME!"_** The true Dark Master proclaimed, now nearly covered in dark cloud fog from his sword.

"You're all wrong!" Malefor yelled, his left eye beginning to twitch. "The world must be cleansed so it can start over anew!"

**_"NEY! IF YOU BLOW UP THE WORLD, YOU'LL BE KILLED IN THE PROCESS TOO, YOU TWIT!"_ **

"Impossible!" Malefor yelled, hovering in the air for dramatic effect. "I cannot die, for **_I AM ETERNAL!_** **"**

"Inconceivable!" McGibberish Rune yelled. "You cannot be eternal! **_I AM ETERNAL!"_**

**_"NEY! YOU ARE BOTH WRONG! IT IS I WHO AM ETERNAL!"_ **

As the cluster of villains began a shouting match over who was the more generically evil big bad, Spyro glanced over to Cynder. Cynder blinked and met Spyro's stare.

"An...any idea on what's going on?"

Spyro sighed, shaking his head. "If I had to guess, somewhere there's a drunk admin passed out at his terminal..."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake again, and another crater opened up next to the supposedly true Dark Master. A ghostly white dragon that had only one eye and more teeth than the Osmond Family came flying out a second later.

 ** _"I LIVE!"_** it proclaimed, a ghostly white glow illuminating from it.

"Oh boy..." Cynder muttered. " _Ghost Dragon?_ " she asked, turning to Spyro.

Spyro looked on flatly. Malefor's face was more red than the bright scarlet of McGibberish Rune's runes. Finally having enough of this, Malefor fired a Convexity Beam at the newcomer, but the beam passed harmlessly through him. Spyro's expression went flat.

"Ghost Dragon," Spyro said flatly.

"ENOUGH!" Malefor finally said, his far too sharp fangs bared at all the wannabe villains in his lair. " _I_ am the Dark Master! _I'm_ the one who shall do whatever he pleases with this world!"

 ** _"NEY! I AM THE TRUE DARK MASTER!"_** the supposedly true Dark Master said from his cloud of dark fog.

"Bah! Like either of you nitwits could be the Dark Master!" McGibberish Rune said, giving a scowl. "Clearly _I_ am the Dark Master!"

As the argument wore on, Spyro looked over to Cynder with a flat expression. Cynder gave a nod and the two dragons began to head back out the door. Before they did so, the right wall of Malefor's lair was blasted open and another armada of air ships could be seen.

"Malefor!" a voice echoed out as what appeared to be an anthropomorphic skunk made the near impossible jump into the lair. "I, the king of skunks, have come to defeat you so that I may go unopposed in my quest to take over the world for skunkkind!"

"Get in line, pal!" Gaul's bastard child spat.

Then the ground began to shake again and yet another crevasse opened up. This time, what appeared to be a giant praying mantis crawled its way out. **_"I LIVE!"_**

"Okay, that's it," Spyro said flatly as he turned around towards the door. "I'm out of here."

"Agreed," Cynder said, following close behind.

"Third'd," Sparx said, making sure he was the first one out as the small mob of generically evil big bads began arguing amongst themselves.

 ** _"ENOUGH!"_** Malefor bellowed, flying to the center of the room. "We cannot _all_ take over and or destroy the world!"

**_"AND WHAT DOES THOU SUGGEST, THEN!?"_ **

"It is quite simple," McGibberish Runes said, his scarlet red runes starting to glow.

" _There can only be_ ** _one!_** "

* * *

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx watched on from a safe distance as the ensuing fireworks from Malefor's lair began. Spyro's groaned, placing his paw over his eyes.

"I don't think Malefor even _needs_ the Destroyer to blow up the world this time..." he muttered.

Sparx placed a hand on his chin as he landed on Spyro's head. "Ya know," Sparx said, looking down at the two dragons. "With all the apparent ancient evil entities that were apparently trapped in our planet, it's a wonder our world wasn't blown up ten times over by now..."

"At least the main evils seem to be taking care of themselves for a change," Cynder said, watching as McGibberish Runes went flying out of the lair. Shaking her head, she turned to Spyro. "What about the Destroyer, though? With Malefor distracted, maybe we can stop it for long enough so you won't have to repair the world this loop."

Spyro sighed, having already begun rubbing his temples. "I suppose. At least that way my headache can't become any worse than it already is..."

* * *

Ignitus watched on with wide eyes. Having only just started looping long ago and well aware of his fate should he try to help them get past the Belt of Fire, Spyro had managed to convince Ignitus to stay behind, hoping that for once he'd be able to survive a loop. Of course, being also aware of what happened after the Belt of Fire, Ignitus knew that, whether Spyro liked it or not, he'd end up becoming the next Chronicler no matter what.

Having already gotten the signal from the previous Chronicler, Ignitus was on his way to the White Isle. However, he could only stop and stare at the sight he came across on the way there...

"... _You_ can't be the one destined to blow up the world! _I'm_ the one destined to blow up the world!" what appeared to be a giant stone dragon bellowed, baring its stone fangs at its opposer.

The Destroyer said nothing, proceeding on its way. The stone dragon growled.

"Very well, then! You asked for it, for _there can only be_ ** _one!_** "

* * *

**Fused 15.8**

Legend reeled back, the multiple throbbing cuts he'd endured stinging like someone had rubbed salt in them. Legend frowned. This loop had been an oddly peaceful one. It was another loop where dragons lived more like the ones in Classic's world, only this time Legend was already living by himself. With his short break from the war, this should have been a peaceful loop for him... Emphasis on 'should have been.'

Legend had been through many adventures and endured pain far worse than he felt now. However, never before had he faced a greater challenge than what he was currently faced with. Legend sighed.

"Listen, I know you're not happy with how this loop is going for you, but could you at least _try_ to cooperate? I'm doing the best I can to make this loop as easy on you as I can."

The purple ball of fluff Legend was addressing glared at him. Classic had a scowl planted firmly on his face. The loops may vary between resets, but he never expected _this_ to happen.

Legend took a deep breath, shaking his head. _'I swear this loop is going to turn me into a dog dragon by the time it ends...'_

* * *

**Legend 15.9 (Arms and Armor pt. 2) (Feat: AbZHz101)**

Ignitus sighed as he treaded through the ruined armory. There had been a time when the greatest weapons of bygone heroes rested here. The prizes had been snatched, and everything else snapped underfoot. Despicable. Though, his search had not been completely fruitless. He had found a pair of training lances and a stone shield that had been covered by its destroyed siblings. They were not meant for battle, but in these hard times, Ignitus would not begrudge small miracles. He had also found teaching tools of the other three guardians, a pleasant omen. He would hold on to such things for now.

Returning to where he had left his new pupil, Ignitus proffered the smaller lance to the younger dragon. "While this isn't exactly your size, it will have to do for now."

Hesitantly, Spyro took the weapon, forcing himself to try and determine what it was that Ignitus planned to teach him.

"Now, unfortunately, teaching one how to use this weapon indoors is...well, rather dangerous. The optimal speeds for a lance are quite high, and as you no doubt realize, high speed and walls do not mix well. Not only is there a risk of personal injury, but if done correctly we'd have to worry about the temple coming down about our heads. Alas, the skies are not safe for us at the moment, so we will have to make do with what we can."

Ignitus then stepped to Spyro's side before altering his grip and the positioning of the lance.

* * *

"From the pool I have seen a vision," Ignitus told Spyro and Sparx. "I have seen the location of one of the other guardians. Master of Electricity, Volteer, is being held in Dante's Freezer. Put on the Fire Lancer armor. We will have to hurry, for I fear his time is short."

"Wait a minute," Sparx interjected. "We? ...As in, you and us? I thought this was one of those 'go forth on this dangerous quest while I stay here and read a book or something trivial until your return' things," he said in a fair imitation of Ignitus's voice.

Spyro chuckled at the imitation, though he did privately admit, this was unusual. Normally, the only time Ignitus accompanied him on a mission was into the Belt of Fire.

Ignitus scowled. "Much as I like the idea of sending barely trained children to deal with the ills of the world, while I twiddle my claws," he began with a venom that could have put fear into even Malefor's black heart, "that is not feasible. One dragon is not enough to guard the temple, as I have little doubt that Cynder's forces will be mobilizing for here. And if the temple is overrun and we fail in getting Volteer to safety, our doom will be complete. No, in times such as these, we must stick together."

With that, Ignitus began to walk out. "Come, we have far to go before the light fades."

* * *

As the three flew towards the frozen wasteland, they heard the ever unwelcome chanting of the apes. It seemed that the simians had set up troops along the smaller islands and peninsulas between the major islands.

"Well," Ignitus said, observing the 'reinforced' positions. "What an opportunity. While I don't make it a habit to give impromptu lessons, in this case, I will make an exception. Spyro." He turned towards his student. "Watch and I will show you how to use a lance as it was meant to be used, and why it is still one of the most feared weapons in the Realms today. Follow behind me, there are some things that are best seen up close... Though, stay out of a dive for now."

At Spyro's nod, Ignitus picked a target, one of the fortifications that had the rock underneath it worn away, creating something like an 'O' shape. He snapped into a diving turn, locked his lance, and entered a dive, the air shrieking in protest as he passed. The apes threw everything that they could against him, bombs, rocks, even their own men, but Ignitus' path did not waver. As he came close to his target, a trickle of flames appeared on his back feet before engulfing him and his weapon entirely and propelling them to even greater speed. Ignitus struck his target and passed through. No longer was there an 'O' in the earth. There was simply nothing left.

Ignitus returned to the openly gaping faces of Spyro and Sparx.

"Surprised?" he asked with a laugh.

They nodded in unison.

"Though it is not the only thing that my troops could do, it was something of a specialty of ours. Now then, let's see how you do." Ignitus scanned the ground before spying a now open sentinel, its protectors having been taken out in his assault. "That one should do nicely."

"You want him," Sparx began with wide eyes, pointing at Spyro without looking at him, "to do that?" He pointed to the now nonexistent rock feature.

"He will have to learn some day and now is probably his best chance," Ignitus replied. "Besides, I don't think he will be old enough to do that for quite some time. Speed isn't the only part of the equation."

Spyro took a steadying breath and nodded. He locked his eyes on the target and began his turn. He locked his lance, the gripper digging into his shoulder, and closed his wings, diving on his target. The wind was howling in his ears and made his eyes water, but he forced them to stay open to maintain his line. A purple and gold streak in the sky, Spyro watched as his target came further and further into focus. When it seemed that he was at the right distance, Spyro unleashed a comet dash.

When the flames had receded, Spyro saw only water in front of him. Not wishing to test his luck in the water, he snapped his wings open and strained against his own momentum to pull level, instinctively keeping his lance from dragging across the waves as he did so. It was draining work, but eventually his momentum gave up before his wings did and Spyro began to level out and then rise back into the sky.

"Well done, Spyro!" Ignitus congratulated. "Well done."

"Dude, that was awesome!" Sparx yelled. "Though Spyro, bro, are you okay?"

"A bit tired, but I'll be fine, Sparx. Ignitus, should I be learning this quickly?" Spyro wondered, doubtfully holding the weapon.

"No," Ignitus replied with a smile. "But it is likely that your Ancestors are helping you, subconsciously guiding your actions, as they do to all of us in our times of greatest need. As you are our best hope, I think they might be just a bit more willing to lend aid than usual."

* * *

**Classic 15.10 (A Heart of Crystal pt. 2)**

Twilight's tree library was bustling and Ember's 'Welcome to Ponyville' party was in full swing. This loop had been rather interesting so far. As it stood, despite Twilight informing her that they possessed quite possibly the largest amount of loopers, this loop only three others were really awake. From what she had told Ember, she'd meet two of the three eventually. For now, though, there was only one other looper in the immediate area.

"So then, deary, how are you enjoying our loop so far?"

Ember turned around, coming face to face with a white mare with a glorious mane.

"I'm really enjoying it," Ember said, giving Rarity a soft smile. "I was a bit unnerved at first, since this is my first fused loop by myself, but all the loopers here so far have been really nice."

"That's good to hear," Rarity said, sitting down at the table Ember was at. "If you ever need anything, feel free to ask."

Ember had a grin on her face. There was a short pause and only the sounds from those enjoying the party could be heard. Ember blinked, an odd feeling like she was being watched coming over her. She turned her head to look behind her, catching Rarity's attention in the process and making her look as well. The two ladies caught sight of the purple head of a small dragon whose emerald eyes were peeking out from behind a chair. Realizing he had been spotted, Spike quickly jumped and dashed away, a luminous blush on his face. Both girls giggled at the sight.

"I still find it a bit hard to believe that you're married to the looping Spike," Ember said, looking back at Rarity. "I mean, I know you two have apparently been looping for many, many years, but it's hard to view him as an adult dragon."

"Yes, it takes quite a few loopers to wrap their heads around it at first," Rarity said, a slight smile on her face. "Looping Spike has grown up a lot compared to his baseline self, though, and he also managed to gain complete control over how mentality can affect the age and size of his body. He's one of the few loopers whose body can grow alongside his mentality." Rarity have a slight giggle before shaking her head. "The next you're here while he's awake, deary, you should see if he can teach you how to do so as well. It's a very rare thing for looper's bodies to actually age in the loops, and it's usually an ability most loopers would love to have."

"Oh, no, that's alright," Ember said, putting her paws in front of her. "I'm quite happy with my body the way it is. Besides, I'm not sure if Dragon Realm dragons can actually do that."

Ember turned back to the table and paused, nervously shifting her eyes. "Um, sorry about...uh..."

"It's alright, dearie," Rarity said, shaking her head. "I know my Spike, the awake, wouldn't so much as look at another women. Besides, I'm not the jealous type."

There was a silent pause as Rarity glanced over to see Spike looking down from the balcony, though he quickly ducked back when he saw Rarity looking in his direction. Rarity narrowed her eyes slightly. She was unable to make out exactly who Spike was looking at. A few seconds passed before Rarity looked forward and hovered a small glass up to her lips.

"...Though, do keep in mind, deary," Rarity said before she took a sip, her voice a tad bit more serious than before. "If you do decide to humor his childish crush, keep in mind that his awake self _is_ a married dragon." In a small flash of light, her wedding ring appeared on her horn.

Ember gave a slight nervous chuckle, quickly raising her paws in front of her as she gave a nervous grin. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that! I don't go after those who are already in a relationship, and even if he's technically older than I am—"

Rarity took a deep breath, shaking her head as her expression lightened. "I'm sorry about that. I have no _idea_ what came over me there." She placed her wedding ring back in her subspace.

Once again, Ember chuckled nervously. Just as things began to get uncomfortably silent, Twilight walked up to them. Giving a small smile, she sat down. "So how have things been so far?"

Ember turned to Twilight, a wide smile on her face. "Pretty good."

"That's good to hear," Twilight said with a smile before turning to Rarity. "Anyway, any ideas on how to deal with Nightmare Moon?"

"Hmm..." Rarity said, placing a hoof to her chin. "...Trapping her in drapery?"

"Done it."

"...Trap her in a bubble?"

"Done it."

"Hm... Drop octopi on her?"

"Done it."

Ember watched on with a blank stare as Twilight and Rarity bantered ideas back and forth. Finally, Ember shook her head. "Um, excuse me?" she asked, butting into the conversation. "What are you talking about?"

Twilight blinked, looking at Ember. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "We haven't told her about that yet."

With that, Twilight brought out the ever famous book she was almost always reading at the start of her loop. As the book was floated over, Ember carefully took it in both claws.

"You can keep that if you want. Birch only knows how easy it is for me to get more copies of that," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "It goes into quite a few details about it, but to give you the abridged version: Nightmare Moon is the evil alter ego of Princess Luna, who used to rule alongside her sister Princess Celestia over a thousand years ago. She controlled the moon and night, as Celestia did the sun and the day."

"However, Princess Luna eventually grew jealous of Celestia, with how ponies usually slept through the night and were more active during the day," Rarity joined in, putting her glass on the table.

"In her jealousy, Luna sought to overthrow Celestia so that her night would reign supreme and never go unappreciated again, becoming Nightmare Moon in the process. Nightmare Moon attempted an attack on Celestia, but even though it seemed like she had won, Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to stop her, imprisoning her on the moon," Twilight said, raising her hoof. "And after a thousand years, she is to escape this Summer Sun Celebration."

Ember listened to the story with wide eyes. She opened the book, flipping a few pages in and seeing the respective images of white and blue winged unicorns. Looking back up, she stared. "Wait, did you say _this_ Summer Sun Celebration? Isn't that...?"

"Oh, oh! No need to worry! Taking care of Nightmare Moon is rather easy for us at this point," Twilight said, waving her hoof in front of her in reassurance. "It's actually become a bit of a game for us. How unconventionally can we defeat Nightmare Moon? Without accidentally traumatizing Luna when she reverts back, of course."

"So far, we've pretty much done everything from sicking Spikezilla on her to trapping her in a bubble," Rarity added, though she was quick to scratch the back of her neck. "Of course, Spikezilla was back during our earlier looping days, and something we're not particularly proud of..."

Ember blinked. "How did you defeat her in baseline?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Well, normally, my friends and I are supposed to travel into the Everfree Forest to the old castle, where we'd get the Elements of Harmony and use them to expel the evil in Luna," Twilight explained, giving a slight sigh. "Of course, I'm a lot less crabby about it now than I was my first time through."

"Well, why don't you use those? I'd be interested to see how things went with you girls the first time through," Ember said, giving a small smile.

Rarity paused, looking upwards as she put a hoof to her chin. Shortly after, she turned to Twilight. "How about it, Twilight? Now that I think of it, it _has_ been quite a while since we last went along with the baseline."

"Maybe," Twilight said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Ember appears to be replacing Fluttershy, though. Though outside loopers getting a husk element isn't unheard of, whether or not she gets kindness specifically has yet to be seen. Of course, juggling around the Elements between us is nothing new..." Twilight said, slowly becoming more and more lost in her ramblings. Finally, she jumped slightly. "Oh, and, of course, if Ember will be willing to wield an element."

Ember paused, her expression blank. _'I'm not even sure what an Element of Harmony is...'_ she thought, her expression remaining unreadable. _'I don't think even Spyro has tried using stuff from other loops yet. I'm not even sure if it'll work because I'm replacing the normal user of it.'_

Ember glanced down, a slight frown on her face. _'And yet... I don't know why...'_

Ember looked back up, a grin on her face as a determined glint appeared in her eyes. "Alright! Considering I'm replacing one of the people who normally wields it, I suppose it's only fair."

"Well, alright then! It's settled!" Twilight exclaimed, a smile on her face. "For a change, we'll actually go along with the baseline method."

An upbeat aura came over the group as Twilight and Rarity began discussing the specifics and what to do if things somehow went wrong. Ember watched them with a smile for a moment, then glanced out the nearby window. The moon glowing eerily in the sky. It had almost reached its peak. A nervous frown creased her face.

_'Oh boy... What have I just gotten myself into?'_

* * *

**Legend 15.11**

There was an uneasy air about everyone in the small group of three. Not far off, the Mountain of Malefor stood. The Night of Eternal Darkness was upon them once again and this time, for a change, Spyro and Cynder were going to do something different.

Sparx was currently poking his head out from behind a rock. With a frown, he looked at Spyro and Cynder.

"Are you guys _sure_ about this?" Sparx asked, daring not to move.

Spyro shook his head. "We were going to have to attempt it sooner or later. Besides, I've had this...uneasy feeling the entire loop. Like, if we didn't stop Malefor right away when he escapes Convexity, the rest of this loop would end up a nightmare."

Spyro turned back to the Mountain of Malefor, a frown on his face as his eyes carried a glint of determination. _'To be completely honest, I'd rather not have attempted this until several more loops from now, but...'_ He shook his head. _'The ancestors are always with us. I believe you, Ignitus. I just hope we can keep the damage from being too severe...'_

Taking a deep breath, Spyro looked up at the sky. It was almost time. The moons were almost directly over the mountain. Both Spyro and Cynder hunkered down, muscles tense as the beam of purple light shot up into the sky. Finally, the moons flashed as they reached their peak over the mountain, sending down a purple pulse. The ground began to rumble as the mountain began to crumble. Spyro narrowed his eyes. Any second now...

As the mountain collapsed in on itself, a pillar of flames echoed forth and punched out a hole through the rubble. Spyro scowled. Malefor was upon them and, like it or not, they would have to stop him now...

However, when the creature that rocketed out of the hole came into view, Spyro and Cynder could only look on with wide eyes, their mouths agape.

"At long last, I am free!" the small velveteen look-a-like of Malefor proclaimed in a squeaky voice, floating in the air as its beady black eyes scanned the world. "It is time! This world must be cleansed!"

As the demonic plushie turned back to the ground with an unmoving expression, partly due to it being sewed on, the plushie Malefor began to glow. "To me, my minions!"

Spyro could only watch on in wide-eyed horror as tons of what appeared to be plushie versions of Malefor's golems came flying out of the same hole in the rubble. Spyro turned to Cynder, who still had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Turning back to the plushie army, Spyro's left eye began to twitch.

A demonic plushie Malefor was summoning magical plushie versions of golems in an attempt to destroy the world.

Spyro let out an exasperated groan.

Legend 15.1 "Sparx?" Legend asked, narrowing his eyes at his adopted brother. "Yes, Spyro?" Sparx asked, glancing upward as he scratched the back of his head. "Why is Cyril currently building a mini-fort to protect himself from 'the eggplant people from Zylous seven'?" Spyro glanced over flatly to the fort that housed the currently shaking guardian of ice. Shaking his head, he glanced back at Sparx. Sparx chuckled nervously, poking his index fingers together as he averted his eyes. "...Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I was trying to set up a booby trap for the apes that would cause them to get avalanched by eggplants, then Cyril accidentally triggered it, I ended up getting encased in one of said eggplants, and then one thing kind of led to another..." Spyro sighed, shaking his head. As if the guardians worrying about being invaded by apes on a daily basis every loop wasn't bad enough... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classic 15.2 "Ah, if it isn't my favorite dragon!" Spyro rolled his eyes as he walked up to Moneybags. Even in baseline, Spyro had never really been big on Moneybags. Dragons had a natural tendency to horde gems, and Moneybags was a greedy bear who wouldn't let him progress until he gave him gems. It only seemed natural he'd be easily annoyed by him, and yet there were many other reasons he didn't particularly care for the bear, especially since looping meant he got an endless supply of gems. Holding innocent animals hostage, helping bad guys if it meant gems for him, trying to keep a baby dragon egg to sell later... Those were merely a few things Moneybags was infamous for. It more or less went without saying, but getting to beat Moneybags up for the latter of those offenses was always an event Spyro looked forward to. Nonetheless, Spyro shook his head, noting that Moneybags was getting to the end of his usual speech. "Of course, I could extend the bridge for a nominal fee..." Spyro paused, placing a claw to his chin. If anything, it was faux move as Spyro debated what to do this loop. While true, he could have just shook Moneybags up enough to make him extend the bridge, doing such things was usually frowned upon by the looping populace. Spyro could have spent the entire loop pranking Moneybags as a way to get back at him, but he knew from experience that such a thing only provided temporary amusement... Spyro smirked, putting his claw on the ground as he got on all fours. "Nah, that's okay. I got this." Moneybags' jaw dropped as he watched Spyro spread his wings and fly across the gap. Spyro looked back, giving a grin. Pranking Moneybags might have been a fleeting enjoyment, but seeing his face whenever he managed to find a way around paying him was always priceless. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legend 15.3 (Arms and Armor pt. 1) (Feat: AbZHz101) Ignitus stared at Spyro with wide eyes. "You're...you're alive!" Then the weight of the world reclaimed the great red dragon and he returned to his depression. Spyro hated to see his mentor like this. "But it's too late. Too late. And even if it weren't..." Ignitus chuckled mirthlessly. "What could I do? My lance is shattered, my armor scattered, my will trampled." Then Ignitus closed his eyes and turned away from Spyro with the words, "Be gone, cruel phantom! My failures live with me to this day! You are not necessary!" With that he blew a hot wind at Spyro and Sparx, launching them out of the cave. Spyro awoke as he landed in a heap. "What was that all about?" The strange events had left him unsure as to what to do. Should he help Cynder, who didn't seem to be awake this loop, or should he figure out what was wrong with Ignitus? "Who cares?" Sparx asked. "The guy obviously doesn't want us bothering him. And I say, if he wants to be that way, then fine, we'll let him." "Sparx," Spyro began. "I can't help but feel that there is more going on here than we know. Didn't you notice how he seemed to think me a conjuration?" "Yeah, and?" Sparx retorted. "He also went off about a lance, armor, and failure. And really bro, why do you care? I mean, sure he might look a bit like you, but come on! That was just plain rude!" "Lance... Armor..." Spyro muttered as his mind began making connections. "Hey, Sparx! Do you remember that armor that was scattered all over the swamp that we had to clean up last winter? Do you think those could have been his?" "Eh, maybe," Sparx replied with a shrug. "But what's it matter? The dude clearly doesn't want anything to do with us." "I don't believe that, Sparx," Spyro stated. "And I think that armor might just prove that we aren't merely phantoms." With that, Spyro ran off to where the dragonflies had taken the huge armor, having been unable to destroy it. Thankfully, it was close by. Since he was awake, he was much stronger, and he had been mainly the one to drag the wretched things to their current resting place to begin with! Steeling himself, Spyro pushed the rattling pile forward, the metal making a surprising amount of noise on the muddy ground. As Ignitus came out of his cave to see the source of the racket, he narrowed his eyes at Spyro. "We found your armor!" Spyro pointed out hopefully. "And your lance...though, we couldn't fix it," he finished somewhat lamely. "You are a persistent one, aren't you?" Ignitus said. "What is it that you want?" Ignitus pressed forward, snarling. However, when he stepped on the broken lance he stopped, eyes wide. ""My lance... My armor... This is real! You're real!" "Yeah, and we'll just be going now," Sparx said as he ineffectually tried to grab Spyro's horns and turn him away. "Just a moment!" Ignitus pleaded. "I'm...I'm sorry that I mistook you for hallucinations meant to torment me...and that you went though all this trouble for me. The least I can do is offer what little hospitality I can, especially in these dark times." He picked up the entire pile and beckoned them inside. "I fear the skies are not safe." As Spyro and Sparx followed Ignitus in, Sparx asked him, "What's with the armor, anyway? I mean, it's hard enough finding something that hurts Spyro here, but you..." "There is more to your question than what you know," Ignitus replied. "Dragons, such as myself and young Spyro here, have scales strong enough to protect us from any natural weapon, even our own teeth and claws. Then, long ago, one of our own fell into evil, the Dark Master, and took with him many of our kind. The dragons who remained true rose up against his tyranny, and both sides found to our mutual dismay that we were unable to wound the other. Eventually, we found tools, weapons that could pierce our enemies' hides, and more importantly our own. We knew that if we had discovered such advances, then it would be perhaps one or two battles at most before they did as well." Ignitus sighed, remembering terrible lessons burned into his memory from childhood. "It became a terrible race, then, as both sides tried to secure better weapons and armor. We gained the alliance of the moles, the best damn craftsmen and women in all the Realms. They took the apes, brutish but terrifyingly clever in their own way." Again Ignitus sighed, the story emotionally draining what little hope he had left. "Then, in my father's time, the last of the Dark Master's remaining dragons fell, the evil one killed by a fluke a generation prior. We thought we had won. We thought that we could know peace." Ignitus chuckled bitterly again. "Oh, how wrong we were." "Servitude had not made the apes grateful to we who saw ourselves as liberators. Instead, they saw it that we had killed their protectors and clients both to the last, thus did they take up the Dark Master's cause. It should have been easy to vanquish them, but even as a shade the Dark Master empowered his servants...so long as they were of use. He granted them powers to call upon things which should never have been, and they too could rip an unprotected dragon asunder..." Ignitus carefully began to polish one of the pieces of his armor. "This armor was my lifeline on the battlefield, the physical symbol of my devotion to my kin, of my duty to protect them... And then, just before you were hatched, the apes attacked our temple where all the eggs, including your own, were being kept. I was only able to save one egg that day, and from then on my failures only continued to mount. "We launched a counter-offensive against the apes and, for a time, it looked as though we would win... Then Cynder came. Where she came from, I know not, but she is a black dragon that forced me to watch as one-by-one my comrades, the other guardians and commanders in our army were plucked from the battlefield. She also came for me. I escaped, but at great cost... My lance snapped, our forces no doubt routed and in disarray, and unable to do anything as my closest friends and subordinates were taken before my eyes... I foolishly discarded them, unable to stand the shame they reminded me of." Ignitus gazed forlornly at the metal and into his own reflected eyes. "Um... Sir," Spyro began, careful not to say his mentor's name before it had been given. "I also found some other armors that fit me. Are they important?" "May I see them?" the fire dragon asked. "And my name is Ignitus, young dragon." He watched as Spyro pulled his three armor sets out, thinking that they had been hidden amongst his own armor. "Oh, yes," he said, looking at the three complete sets. "I know these rather well. They are all mole-made, impeccable craftsmanship...if impersonal." He picked up the gold helmet almost fondly. "These were given to members of my own division, which was led under my father before me. The Fire Lancers... Designed to protect against the lance's immense recoil, our dives were something to behold. And, if required, we'd smash a siege tower or two...each. When I led them, I would hand out each set personally... One of the ways that I would grow closer to my corps." He then moved on to the silver armor. "Hmm... Probably made for a member of the Earth Demolition division. If we would tear something down from above, they would destroy it by its very foundations. Their flails always struck true." Then he turned to the fury armor and his countenance grew grim. "The oldest of the lot," he began, looking as if he had been forced to swallow something very sour. "From a desperate time. That armor was given to recruits in the days when the Dark Master still breathed. Our elders were desperate... It is a powerful armor to be sure, but they did not tell the soldiers of all its powers. Young dragons would enter Fury and destroy a platoon on their own...but would almost inevitably die when they stopped. It was during one of these Furies that the Dark Master was felled...by my own grandfather. He lived long enough to be elevated to a minor noble status, one which would apply to all his family before he moved on to the next life. Be careful when using it, Spyro... That armor has claimed many lives, and more than just a few were on our side." Spyro gulped at the dark history that his fury armor had this loop. "Still, though, it is a shame," Ignitus muttered. Spyro wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear that, but his curiosity had been piqued nonetheless. "What is?" "You are just about the age when young noble dragons would have their personal armor commissioned." "I'm a noble?" Spyro asked. "Even if you weren't, the fact is that purple dragons such as yourself only appear once every ten generations... Not only that, but there have been prophecies and legends telling of the kind of power that a purple dragon would wield... Had the chain of nobility remained and you been born to 'common' parents, the greater houses would have been jumping over themselves to be the first to find even the most distant blood connection to you and bring you into their fold. Removing them is likely one of the few truly good things that has come about from this whole mess." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classic 15.4 Spyro's eye twitched as he tapped his claw on the ground. His magic command line brought up, he had spent what felt like the past half hour working on this single project in hopes that it would make his base loop easier. However, no matter what he attempted, he would always be presented with the same line of 'coding.' "Nice try, ya stupid dragon!" Spyro let out an exasperated groan before banging his claws against the portal frame with his eyes closed and a scowl on his face. If there was one part of his baseline loop he always dreaded, it had to be this. He sighed before glancing over to Sparx. The dragonfly had a frown on his face. "Don't worry, I packed the in-flight snacks," he said, heading in front of the portal. Spyro's countenance drooped as he dragged himself over to the portal. Taking a few seconds of reprieve, Spyro jumped through the portal with a frown. There were many things Ripto loved to pull to torment dragons in his attempts to take over the realms, but... '... Loading, please wait... ... Error. Redirecting... ... Loading, please wait... ... Error. Redirecting...' ...Nothing compared to breaking the portal transit system so it took forever to get to one's intended destination. Spyro groaned, his eyes drooping. Ripto's cruelty knew no bounds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legend 15.5 Being a guardian, Ignitus had seen many things in his time. Nothing compared, however, to seeing time repeat itself over and over again. Ignitus could only watch as Volteer and Cyril went through their usual bickering after Cyril had been saved. Try as he might, his attempts to keep a straight face were undermined as he looked on in wide-eyed curiosity. He looked down at Spyro and Cynder, Cynder's presence making this the only thing that was different this time. Ignitus blinked before shaking his head. "Ahem, if you would excuse me..." Ignitus said, looking towards his fellow guardians. "I think I need to lay down for a moment. I think all this stress from the war is starting to get to me..." Cyril and Volteer paused in their ramblings, turning to face Ignitus. Cyril was the first to raise an eyebrow, eyes full of concern. "The war is weighing heavy on all of us, Ignitus," he began, giving Ignitus a concerned look. "However, this is a rare joyous occasion. The purple dragon of fate has finally revealed himself and it is thanks to him we are saved." Cyril tilted his head. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? We guardians may be old, but we're not that old yet, I'll have you know." Ignitus stood blank for a few seconds before he finally closed his eyes. "I know. It's just..." Ignitus let out a sigh and turned towards the door. "P-please excuse me." Cyril and Volteer turned their heads towards each other before they watched Ignitus leave the room. Spyro looked on sadly before turning to the other two guardians. "Please excuse me as well. I just remembered, I needed to check on something," Spyro said, quickly leaving the room after his mentor. Cynder hesitated, looking on as Spyro left the room with a concerned glance. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Spyro knew Ignitus far better than she did, so she knew there wasn't much she could add if she tried to help. For now, it was best to stay back and let him work this out on his own. Cyril paused before glancing over to Volteer with narrowed eyes. "I can't help but get the feeling this is your fault." "My fault!?" Volteer exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Cyril. "How in the Dragon Realms are you able to assume that I was the cause of our companion's sudden stress!?" "Well, for one, you ramble on like you've just discovered a new continent every time you discover something new. Clearly he's finally starting to get fed up with it." "I ramble on!? Need I inform you, you pompous excuse for a noblemen, that you are the one who goes on about ice dragons like they are the ancestors' gift to dragonkind! I'll have you know that there is nothing more special about ice dragons than there is about dragons of any other element!" "How dare you say that! I'll have youknow that if it wasn't for my ancestors—" Cynder's expression went flat. Maybe Spyro and Ignitus wouldn't mind too much if she tagged along after all... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spyro walked down the hall, glancing down any hallway he passed in search of his mentor. Finally, he heard a deep breath echo out through the corridor. Narrowing his eyes, he was quick to follow where it had come from. Rounding a corner to a nearby door, he saw Ignitus laying down with his eyes closed. Spyro frowned. "Ignitus?" Spyro said, slowly making his way into the room. Ignitus raised his head, looking towards Spyro. He did his best to put on a fake reassuring smile, but the stern look he got in return told him that Spyro didn't buy it for a second. Ignitus sighed. "I'm sorry, Spyro. I should be the one who's comforting you through this, and yet..." Ignitus lowered his head. "It's alright," Spyro said, walking over to Ignitus and laying down next to him. "The loops take a while to adjust to, especially the first few of them." Ignitus glanced over to Spyro, raising an eyebrow. "You said you, Sparx, and Cynder have been looping for some time now. Exactly how long has 'some time' been?" Spyro glanced upwards, placing a paw to his chin. Finally, he shook his head as he looked back at Ignitus. "Honestly, I couldn't tell. I know the last major variant loops were, like, one hundred and twelve loops ago," Spyro said, closing his eyes. "If I had to make a guess, though, I'd say we're well past the one thousand mark by this point." Ignitus' eyes went wide at Spyro's estimate before he closed them. Finally, he began to chuckle. Spyro raised an eyebrow as he looked at his mentor, Ignitus shaking his head as he looked back at Spyro. "Forgive me," Ignitus said, giving a soft smile. "I just found the thought of my pupil technically being far older than I am now amusing." At this, Spyro found it hard not to chuckle either. Shaking his head, he looked back at Ignitus. Ignitus sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," Ignitus said, lowering his head. "After everything you've been through, you and Cynder deserve to finally have peace. I wish there was something I could do to make these loops end." "You know that's not possible," Spyro stated, closing his eyes. "You read the book I gave you. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault." Spyro reopened his eyes, looking towards his mentor. "Besides, the war isn't too bad anymore. Cynder's managed to figure out a way to escape...you know," Spyro said, flinching a bit, "and we can easily handle most of the baseline problems now. Pretty much the only one who can still give us a challenge is Malefor. It's not perfect, but at least it's better than the first time around." Spyro stood up, walking in front of Ignitus and smiling. "I've been trying my best to end the war earlier than it usually does at the end of the loop, to give us a peaceful rest before it starts over again." Ignitus raised an eyebrow, raising his head to look at Spyro. "Any luck so far?" "Well...not exactly," Spyro admitted, lowering his head. "Though I can usually take care of most of the forces in Malefor's army, the only way to end the war for good, it seems, is to take out Malefor himself." Spyro closed his eyes. "The earliest known instance of his escape from his prison in the baseline is the Night of Eternal Darkness, but..." Spyro sighed, looking Ignitus in the eyes. "I...I'm not sure if I can kill him yet." Ignitus tilted his head. "What do you mean? Don't you usually beat Malefor at the end of the loop?" "Not...not really," Spyro admitted, looking down. "Most of the time we just fight him to a standstill until the spirits of the ancestors show up and drag him off to who knows where." Spyro shook his head. "And every time we think we've finally gotten a read on him, he pulls some new trick out of thin air and we're back to square one." Spyro raised his head, meeting Ignitus' eyes. "I know it may seem selfish to not even try, but I don't want to attempt to fight him earlier than normal until I know I can take him without the assistance of the ancestors, in case they don't show up." Ignitus blinked before his expression softened. "Spyro, the ancestors will always be there to assist you, even if it doesn't seem like it." Ignitus smiled. "You should never doubt them." "I know, but still..." Spyro sighed. "I'd like to be sure that I can, if only for myself." A silence soon followed as Ignitus watched Spyro looking down at the ground. Finally, Spyro raised his head. "Ignitus?" Ignitus gave a smile. "Yes, Spyro?" "Is it alright if you still continue to teach me about the element of fire, despite the loops?" Ingnitus closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face. Sitting up, Ignitus looked down with the smile never leaving his face. "Of course, my student. I may not be sure of how much you've learned in my absence, so to speak, but I'll help wherever I can." Spyro smiled, walking over to Ignitus and hugging one of his forelegs. Ignitus draped one of his wings over Spyro, the smile still on his face. Even if Spyro was technically older than he was now, it was nice to know that he still wanted him as his teacher, even in this recession of reoccurring time. "...Oh! I almost forgot!" Spyro said, looking up at Ignitus. "If, during the loops, you encounter a purple dragon that looks almost exactly like me but acts like studying is the plague, I want you to know that he isn't me." "Wha—?" "Don't worry. You'll understand when you meet him..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classic 15.6 Professor Oak examined Spyro as if the little dragon was a tablet that held all the secrets to the universe. Cautiously, he raised his hand to put it on Spyro's head. Spyro frowned. "In case you're wondering, no, I am not a Pokémon," Spyro said, giving Oak a flat glare. "So don't even think about trying to shove me in a Pokéball." Oak staggered back as Spyro began to talk. Spyro chuckled as Oak straightened his cloak as he tried to regain his composure. Unsure of what to say, Oak asked the first thing that came to mind. "Are you a boy or a girl?" Spyro scowled, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think!?" Oak paused, placing a hand to his chin. "Um... Girl?" Spyro's left eye twitched. He was about to correct him, but he quickly paused. Shortly after, Spyro darted towards the woods and hid behind a bush. A few seconds later, 'Spyra' came walking back out, her eye twitching and a scowl planted firmly on her face. 'Dammit! Can't these loops make up their mind already!?' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legend 15.7 Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were standing outside Malefor's lair. Spyro turned to Cynder, who was looking on with narrowed eyes. She gave a sigh. Spyro frowned. "You going to be alright?" he asked, walking over to her. "Yeah," Cynder said, taking a deep breath. "It's just that, no matter how many times we do this, it never fails to unnerve me." Spyro draped a wing over her, giving her soft glance. "Don't worry. Hopefully, once we figure out all his tricks, we won't need to do this any more." Cynder looked at Spyro, giving a nod as she turned back towards the door. With steel-like resolve, Spyro and Cynder pushed the door open to Malefor's lair, only the light from outside lighting their way. However, when they saw what was going on inside, they could only stop and stare with blank expressions. "I told you once, you irritating ingrate, the Dark Master bows to no one!" Malefor bellowed, glaring down sharply. It only took one glance at the dragon Malefor was yelling at for Spyro to already feel a headache coming on. "Silence, you incipit fool!" the purple dragon that looked no older than Spyro himself demanded. Had it not been for the random red runes that translated to nothing but gibberish to those who could read it tattooed on his scales, Spyro would have thought it was Classic playing a prank. "I'm the one who's been controlling you this whole time! You bow down to me! "Wait... How does that work?" Sparx muttered, looking down to both Spyro and Cynder. "Isn't Malefor, like, a millennia old? This yutz doesn't look any older than Spyro." Getting a shrug from Cynder in response, Sparx turned to Spyro. Spyro just placed a paw over his eyes, letting out a groan. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Spyro jumped, looking around with wide eyes. "What? The Destroyer isn't supposed to be here yet!" he exclaimed. All of a sudden, the ground next to Malefor's throne gave way and a humanoid figure punched his way out, wearing heavy black armor with enough spikes on it to make Mega Man proclaim 'Screw this, I'm outta' here!' "I LIVE!" the generic black knight proclaimed. "AFTER YEARS SPENT TRAPPED WITHIN THE PLANET, I LIVE ONCE AGAIN!" Both Malefor and Purple McGibberish Rune glared at the newcomer, as Spyro, Sparx and Cynder looked on with blank expressions. "Wait, aren't we on a floating island, though?" Sparx asked, glancing down to the two dragons while scratching his head. Continuing to be ignored in favor of what was currently going on, Malefor looked at the newcomer with a scowl. "And who, dare I ask, are you!?" Malefor demanded, taking the time provided in the distraction to knock McGibberish Rune aside. "I AM THE TRUE DARK MASTER, FOOL!" the generically ancient evil entity proclaimed, taking out a sword that one would swear had a built-in fog machine. The black smog emitting from it likely wasn't good for the environment in the slightest. "Preposterous! There is only one Dark Master!" Malefor proclaimed, baring his fangs. "That title belongs to I and I alone!" "NEY!" the supposed true Dark Master proclaimed, pointing his sword at him. "A PAWN OF A PAWN CANNOT BE A DARK MASTER! FOR YOU SEE, I'VE BEEN CONTROLLING THAT WHELP WHO'S BEEN CONTROLLING YOU THIS ENTIRE TIME!" As the supposed true Dark Master finished his claim, McGibberish Rune picked himself up and, faster than one could proclaim 'I call BS!', the left wall of Malefor's lair was blasted open and an armada of airships could be seen outside. "Malefor!" a voice echoed out, as an ape made the seemingly impossible jump from the airship all the way through the newly opened back entrance of Malefor's lair. "Impossible!" Malefor bellowed, seething with rage. "I wiped all the apes out years ago!" "Or so you thought!" the ape proclaimed. A pair of totally-not-Wolverine-inspired claws armed themselves from his knuckles. "But, unfortunately for you, you failed to take into account the apes you forgot about in the swamp!" "I burned that swamp down years ago!" Malefor spat. "Not that swamp!" the ape said, stomping his foot. "The other swamp! The swamp on the other side of the world!" The ape shook his head. "No matter! It doesn't matter how we survived, for now I, the son of Gaul and prince of the apes, will have revenge for all apekind!" Gaul's bastard child raised his claw up into the air. "And then we will take over the world!" "Impossible! I will be the one who takes over the world!" McGibberish Rune whined, hunkering down. "NEY! THE WORLD BELONGS TO ME!" The true Dark Master proclaimed, now nearly covered in dark cloud fog from his sword. "You're all wrong!" Malefor yelled, his left eye beginning to twitch. "The world must be cleansed so it can start over anew!" "NEY! IF YOU BLOW UP THE WORLD, YOU'LL BE KILLED IN THE PROCESS TOO, YOU TWIT!" "Impossible!" Malefor yelled, hovering in the air for dramatic effect. "I cannot die, for I AM ETERNAL!" "Inconceivable!" McGibberish Rune yelled. "You cannot be eternal! I AM ETERNAL!" "NEY! YOU ARE BOTH WRONG! IT IS I WHO AM ETERNAL!" As the cluster of villains began a shouting match over who was the more generically evil big bad, Spyro glanced over to Cynder. Cynder blinked and met Spyro's stare. "An...any idea on what's going on?" Spyro sighed, shaking his head. "If I had to guess, somewhere there's a drunk admin passed out at his terminal..." Suddenly, the ground began to shake again, and another crater opened up next to the supposedly true Dark Master. A ghostly white dragon that had only one eye and more teeth than the Osmond Family came flying out a second later. "I LIVE!" it proclaimed, a ghostly white glow illuminating from it. "Oh boy..." Cynder muttered. "Ghost Dragon?" she asked, turning to Spyro. Spyro looked on flatly. Malefor's face was more red than the bright scarlet of McGibberish Rune's runes. Finally having enough of this, Malefor fired a Convexity Beam at the newcomer, but the beam passed harmlessly through him. Spyro's expression went flat. "Ghost Dragon," Spyro said flatly. "ENOUGH!" Malefor finally said, his far too sharp fangs bared at all the wannabe villains in his lair. "I am the Dark Master! I'mthe one who shall do whatever he pleases with this world!" "NEY! I AM THE TRUE DARK MASTER!" the supposedly true Dark Master said from his cloud of dark fog. "Bah! Like either of you nitwits could be the Dark Master!" McGibberish Rune said, giving a scowl. "Clearly Iam the Dark Master!" As the argument wore on, Spyro looked over to Cynder with a flat expression. Cynder gave a nod and the two dragons began to head back out the door. Before they did so, the right wall of Malefor's lair was blasted open and another armada of air ships could be seen. "Malefor!" a voice echoed out as what appeared to be an anthropomorphic skunk made the near impossible jump into the lair. "I, the king of skunks, have come to defeat you so that I may go unopposed in my quest to take over the world for skunkkind!" "Get in line, pal!" Gaul's bastard child spat. Then the ground began to shake again and yet another crevasse opened up. This time, what appeared to be a giant praying mantis crawled its way out. "I LIVE!" "Okay, that's it," Spyro said flatly as he turned around towards the door. "I'm out of here." "Agreed," Cynder said, following close behind. "Third'd," Sparx said, making sure he was the first one out as the small mob of generically evil big bads began arguing amongst themselves. "ENOUGH!" Malefor bellowed, flying to the center of the room. "We cannot all take over and or destroy the world!" "AND WHAT DOES THOU SUGGEST, THEN!?" "It is quite simple," McGibberish Runes said, his scarlet red runes starting to glow. "There can only be one!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spyro, Cynder and Sparx watched on from a safe distance as the ensuing fireworks from Malefor's lair began. Spyro's groaned, placing his paw over his eyes. "I don't think Malefor even needs the Destroyer to blow up the world this time..." he muttered. Sparx placed a hand on his chin as he landed on Spyro's head. "Ya know," Sparx said, looking down at the two dragons. "With all the apparent ancient evil entities that were apparently trapped in our planet, it's a wonder our world wasn't blown up ten times over by now..." "At least the main evils seem to be taking care of themselves for a change," Cynder said, watching as McGibberish Runes went flying out of the lair. Shaking her head, she turned to Spyro. "What about the Destroyer, though? With Malefor distracted, maybe we can stop it for long enough so you won't have to repair the world this loop." Spyro sighed, having already begun rubbing his temples. "I suppose. At least that way my headache can't become any worse than it already is..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ignitus watched on with wide eyes. Having only just started looping long ago and well aware of his fate should he try to help them get past the Belt of Fire, Spyro had managed to convince Ignitus to stay behind, hoping that for once he'd be able to survive a loop. Of course, being also aware of what happened after the Belt of Fire, Ignitus knew that, whether Spyro liked it or not, he'd end up becoming the next Chronicler no matter what. Having already gotten the signal from the previous Chronicler, Ignitus was on his way to the White Isle. However, he could only stop and stare at the sight he came across on the way there... "...You can't be the one destined to blow up the world! I'm the one destined to blow up the world!" what appeared to be a giant stone dragon bellowed, baring its stone fangs at its opposer. The Destroyer said nothing, proceeding on its way. The stone dragon growled. "Very well, then! You asked for it, for there can only be one!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fused 15.8 Legend reeled back, the multiple throbbing cuts he'd endured stinging like someone had rubbed salt in them. Legend frowned. This loop had been an oddly peaceful one. It was another loop where dragons lived more like the ones in Classic's world, only this time Legend was already living by himself. With his short break from the war, this should have been a peaceful loop for him... Emphasis on 'should have been.' Legend had been through many adventures and endured pain far worse than he felt now. However, never before had he faced a greater challenge than what he was currently faced with. Legend sighed. "Listen, I know you're not happy with how this loop is going for you, but could you at least try to cooperate? I'm doing the best I can to make this loop as easy on you as I can." The purple ball of fluff Legend was addressing glared at him. Classic had a scowl planted firmly on his face. The loops may vary between resets, but he never expected this to happen. Legend took a deep breath, shaking his head. 'I swear this loop is going to turn me into a dog dragon by the time it ends...' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legend 15.9 (Arms and Armor pt. 2) (Feat: AbZHz101) Ignitus sighed as he treaded through the ruined armory. There had been a time when the greatest weapons of bygone heroes rested here. The prizes had been snatched, and everything else snapped underfoot. Despicable. Though, his search had not been completely fruitless. He had found a pair of training lances and a stone shield that had been covered by its destroyed siblings. They were not meant for battle, but in these hard times, Ignitus would not begrudge small miracles. He had also found teaching tools of the other three guardians, a pleasant omen. He would hold on to such things for now. Returning to where he had left his new pupil, Ignitus proffered the smaller lance to the younger dragon. "While this isn't exactly your size, it will have to do for now." Hesitantly, Spyro took the weapon, forcing himself to try and determine what it was that Ignitus planned to teach him. "Now, unfortunately, teaching one how to use this weapon indoors is...well, rather dangerous. The optimal speeds for a lance are quite high, and as you no doubt realize, high speed and walls do not mix well. Not only is there a risk of personal injury, but if done correctly we'd have to worry about the temple coming down about our heads. Alas, the skies are not safe for us at the moment, so we will have to make do with what we can." Ignitus then stepped to Spyro's side before altering his grip and the positioning of the lance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "From the pool I have seen a vision," Ignitus told Spyro and Sparx. "I have seen the location of one of the other guardians. Master of Electricity, Volteer, is being held in Dante's Freezer. Put on the Fire Lancer armor. We will have to hurry, for I fear his time is short." "Wait a minute," Sparx interjected. "We? ...As in, you and us? I thought this was one of those 'go forth on this dangerous quest while I stay here and read a book or something trivial until your return' things," he said in a fair imitation of Ignitus's voice. Spyro chuckled at the imitation, though he did privately admit, this was unusual. Normally, the only time Ignitus accompanied him on a mission was into the Belt of Fire. Ignitus scowled. "Much as I like the idea of sending barely trained children to deal with the ills of the world, while I twiddle my claws," he began with a venom that could have put fear into even Malefor's black heart, "that is not feasible. One dragon is not enough to guard the temple, as I have little doubt that Cynder's forces will be mobilizing for here. And if the temple is overrun and we fail in getting Volteer to safety, our doom will be complete. No, in times such as these, we must stick together." With that, Ignitus began to walk out. "Come, we have far to go before the light fades." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the three flew towards the frozen wasteland, they heard the ever unwelcome chanting of the apes. It seemed that the simians had set up troops along the smaller islands and peninsulas between the major islands. "Well," Ignitus said, observing the 'reinforced' positions. "What an opportunity. While I don't make it a habit to give impromptu lessons, in this case, I will make an exception. Spyro." He turned towards his student. "Watch and I will show you how to use a lance as it was meant to be used, and why it is still one of the most feared weapons in the Realms today. Follow behind me, there are some things that are best seen up close... Though, stay out of a dive for now." At Spyro's nod, Ignitus picked a target, one of the fortifications that had the rock underneath it worn away, creating something like an 'O' shape. He snapped into a diving turn, locked his lance, and entered a dive, the air shrieking in protest as he passed. The apes threw everything that they could against him, bombs, rocks, even their own men, but Ignitus' path did not waver. As he came close to his target, a trickle of flames appeared on his back feet before engulfing him and his weapon entirely and propelling them to even greater speed. Ignitus struck his target and passed through. No longer was there an 'O' in the earth. There was simply nothing left. Ignitus returned to the openly gaping faces of Spyro and Sparx. "Surprised?" he asked with a laugh. They nodded in unison. "Though it is not the only thing that my troops could do, it was something of a specialty of ours. Now then, let's see how you do." Ignitus scanned the ground before spying a now open sentinel, its protectors having been taken out in his assault. "That one should do nicely." "You want him," Sparx began with wide eyes, pointing at Spyro without looking at him, "to do that?" He pointed to the now nonexistent rock feature. "He will have to learn some day and now is probably his best chance," Ignitus replied. "Besides, I don't think he will be old enough to do that for quite some time. Speed isn't the only part of the equation." Spyro took a steadying breath and nodded. He locked his eyes on the target and began his turn. He locked his lance, the gripper digging into his shoulder, and closed his wings, diving on his target. The wind was howling in his ears and made his eyes water, but he forced them to stay open to maintain his line. A purple and gold streak in the sky, Spyro watched as his target came further and further into focus. When it seemed that he was at the right distance, Spyro unleashed a comet dash. When the flames had receded, Spyro saw only water in front of him. Not wishing to test his luck in the water, he snapped his wings open and strained against his own momentum to pull level, instinctively keeping his lance from dragging across the waves as he did so. It was draining work, but eventually his momentum gave up before his wings did and Spyro began to level out and then rise back into the sky. "Well done, Spyro!" Ignitus congratulated. "Well done." "Dude, that was awesome!" Sparx yelled. "Though Spyro, bro, are you okay?" "A bit tired, but I'll be fine, Sparx. Ignitus, should I be learning this quickly?" Spyro wondered, doubtfully holding the weapon. "No," Ignitus replied with a smile. "But it is likely that your Ancestors are helping you, subconsciously guiding your actions, as they do to all of us in our times of greatest need. As you are our best hope, I think they might be just a bit more willing to lend aid than usual." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classic 15.10 (A Heart of Crystal pt. 2) Twilight's tree library was bustling and Ember's 'Welcome to Ponyville' party was in full swing. This loop had been rather interesting so far. As it stood, despite Twilight informing her that they possessed quite possibly the largest amount of loopers, this loop only three others were really awake. From what she had told Ember, she'd meet two of the three eventually. For now, though, there was only one other looper in the immediate area. "So then, deary, how are you enjoying our loop so far?" Ember turned around, coming face to face with a white mare with a glorious mane. "I'm really enjoying it," Ember said, giving Rarity a soft smile. "I was a bit unnerved at first, since this is my first fused loop by myself, but all the loopers here so far have been really nice." "That's good to hear," Rarity said, sitting down at the table Ember was at. "If you ever need anything, feel free to ask." Ember had a grin on her face. There was a short pause and only the sounds from those enjoying the party could be heard. Ember blinked, an odd feeling like she was being watched coming over her. She turned her head to look behind her, catching Rarity's attention in the process and making her look as well. The two ladies caught sight of the purple head of a small dragon whose emerald eyes were peeking out from behind a chair. Realizing he had been spotted, Spike quickly jumped and dashed away, a luminous blush on his face. Both girls giggled at the sight. "I still find it a bit hard to believe that you're married to the looping Spike," Ember said, looking back at Rarity. "I mean, I know you two have apparently been looping for many, many years, but it's hard to view him as an adult dragon." "Yes, it takes quite a few loopers to wrap their heads around it at first," Rarity said, a slight smile on her face. "Looping Spike has grown up a lot compared to his baseline self, though, and he also managed to gain complete control over how mentality can affect the age and size of his body. He's one of the few loopers whose body can grow alongside his mentality." Rarity have a slight giggle before shaking her head. "The next you're here while he's awake, deary, you should see if he can teach you how to do so as well. It's a very rare thing for looper's bodies to actually age in the loops, and it's usually an ability most loopers would love to have." "Oh, no, that's alright," Ember said, putting her paws in front of her. "I'm quite happy with my body the way it is. Besides, I'm not sure if Dragon Realm dragons can actually do that." Ember turned back to the table and paused, nervously shifting her eyes. "Um, sorry about...uh..." "It's alright, dearie," Rarity said, shaking her head. "I know my Spike, the awake, wouldn't so much as look at another women. Besides, I'm not the jealous type." There was a silent pause as Rarity glanced over to see Spike looking down from the balcony, though he quickly ducked back when he saw Rarity looking in his direction. Rarity narrowed her eyes slightly. She was unable to make out exactly who Spike was looking at. A few seconds passed before Rarity looked forward and hovered a small glass up to her lips. "...Though, do keep in mind, deary," Rarity said before she took a sip, her voice a tad bit more serious than before. "If you do decide to humor his childish crush, keep in mind that his awake self is a married dragon." In a small flash of light, her wedding ring appeared on her horn. Ember gave a slight nervous chuckle, quickly raising her paws in front of her as she gave a nervous grin. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that! I don't go after those who are already in a relationship, and even if he's technically older than I am—" Rarity took a deep breath, shaking her head as her expression lightened. "I'm sorry about that. I have no idea what came over me there." She placed her wedding ring back in her subspace. Once again, Ember chuckled nervously. Just as things began to get uncomfortably silent, Twilight walked up to them. Giving a small smile, she sat down. "So how have things been so far?" Ember turned to Twilight, a wide smile on her face. "Pretty good." "That's good to hear," Twilight said with a smile before turning to Rarity. "Anyway, any ideas on how to deal with Nightmare Moon?" "Hmm..." Rarity said, placing a hoof to her chin. "...Trapping her in drapery?" "Done it." "...Trap her in a bubble?" "Done it." "Hm... Drop octopi on her?" "Done it." Ember watched on with a blank stare as Twilight and Rarity bantered ideas back and forth. Finally, Ember shook her head. "Um, excuse me?" she asked, butting into the conversation. "What are you talking about?" Twilight blinked, looking at Ember. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "We haven't told her about that yet." With that, Twilight brought out the ever famous book she was almost always reading at the start of her loop. As the book was floated over, Ember carefully took it in both claws. "You can keep that if you want. Birch only knows how easy it is for me to get more copies of that," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "It goes into quite a few details about it, but to give you the abridged version: Nightmare Moon is the evil alter ego of Princess Luna, who used to rule alongside her sister Princess Celestia over a thousand years ago. She controlled the moon and night, as Celestia did the sun and the day." "However, Princess Luna eventually grew jealous of Celestia, with how ponies usually slept through the night and were more active during the day," Rarity joined in, putting her glass on the table. "In her jealousy, Luna sought to overthrow Celestia so that her night would reign supreme and never go unappreciated again, becoming Nightmare Moon in the process. Nightmare Moon attempted an attack on Celestia, but even though it seemed like she had won, Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to stop her, imprisoning her on the moon," Twilight said, raising her hoof. "And after a thousand years, she is to escape this Summer Sun Celebration." Ember listened to the story with wide eyes. She opened the book, flipping a few pages in and seeing the respective images of white and blue winged unicorns. Looking back up, she stared. "Wait, did you say this Summer Sun Celebration? Isn't that...?" "Oh, oh! No need to worry! Taking care of Nightmare Moon is rather easy for us at this point," Twilight said, waving her hoof in front of her in reassurance. "It's actually become a bit of a game for us. How unconventionally can we defeat Nightmare Moon? Without accidentally traumatizing Luna when she reverts back, of course." "So far, we've pretty much done everything from sicking Spikezilla on her to trapping her in a bubble," Rarity added, though she was quick to scratch the back of her neck. "Of course, Spikezilla was back during our earlier looping days, and something we're not particularly proud of..." Ember blinked. "How did you defeat her in baseline?" she asked, tilting her head. "Well, normally, my friends and I are supposed to travel into the Everfree Forest to the old castle, where we'd get the Elements of Harmony and use them to expel the evil in Luna," Twilight explained, giving a slight sigh. "Of course, I'm a lot less crabby about it now than I was my first time through." "Well, why don't you use those? I'd be interested to see how things went with you girls the first time through," Ember said, giving a small smile. Rarity paused, looking upwards as she put a hoof to her chin. Shortly after, she turned to Twilight. "How about it, Twilight? Now that I think of it, it has been quite a while since we last went along with the baseline." "Maybe," Twilight said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Ember appears to be replacing Fluttershy, though. Though outside loopers getting a husk element isn't unheard of, whether or not she gets kindness specifically has yet to be seen. Of course, juggling around the Elements between us is nothing new..." Twilight said, slowly becoming more and more lost in her ramblings. Finally, she jumped slightly. "Oh, and, of course, if Ember will be willing to wield an element." Ember paused, her expression blank. 'I'm not even sure what an Element of Harmony is...' she thought, her expression remaining unreadable. 'I don't think even Spyro has tried using stuff from other loops yet. I'm not even sure if it'll work because I'm replacing the normal user of it.' Ember glanced down, a slight frown on her face. 'And yet... I don't know why...' Ember looked back up, a grin on her face as a determined glint appeared in her eyes. "Alright! Considering I'm replacing one of the people who normally wields it, I suppose it's only fair." "Well, alright then! It's settled!" Twilight exclaimed, a smile on her face. "For a change, we'll actually go along with the baseline method." An upbeat aura came over the group as Twilight and Rarity began discussing the specifics and what to do if things somehow went wrong. Ember watched them with a smile for a moment, then glanced out the nearby window. The moon glowing eerily in the sky. It had almost reached its peak. A nervous frown creased her face. 'Oh boy... What have I just gotten myself into?' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legend 15.11 There was an uneasy air about everyone in the small group of three. Not far off, the Mountain of Malefor stood. The Night of Eternal Darkness was upon them once again and this time, for a change, Spyro and Cynder were going to do something different. Sparx was currently poking his head out from behind a rock. With a frown, he looked at Spyro and Cynder. "Are you guys sure about this?" Sparx asked, daring not to move. Spyro shook his head. "We were going to have to attempt it sooner or later. Besides, I've had this...uneasy feeling the entire loop. Like, if we didn't stop Malefor right away when he escapes Convexity, the rest of this loop would end up a nightmare." Spyro turned back to the Mountain of Malefor, a frown on his face as his eyes carried a glint of determination. 'To be completely honest, I'd rather not have attempted this until several more loops from now, but...' He shook his head. 'The ancestors are always with us. I believe you, Ignitus. I just hope we can keep the damage from being too severe...' Taking a deep breath, Spyro looked up at the sky. It was almost time. The moons were almost directly over the mountain. Both Spyro and Cynder hunkered down, muscles tense as the beam of purple light shot up into the sky. Finally, the moons flashed as they reached their peak over the mountain, sending down a purple pulse. The ground began to rumble as the mountain began to crumble. Spyro narrowed his eyes. Any second now... As the mountain collapsed in on itself, a pillar of flames echoed forth and punched out a hole through the rubble. Spyro scowled. Malefor was upon them and, like it or not, they would have to stop him now... However, when the creature that rocketed out of the hole came into view, Spyro and Cynder could only look on with wide eyes, their mouths agape. "At long last, I am free!" the small velveteen look-a-like of Malefor proclaimed in a squeaky voice, floating in the air as its beady black eyes scanned the world. "It is time! This world must be cleansed!" As the demonic plushie turned back to the ground with an unmoving expression, partly due to it being sewed on, the plushie Malefor began to glow. "To me, my minions!" Spyro could only watch on in wide-eyed horror as tons of what appeared to be plushie versions of Malefor's golems came flying out of the same hole in the rubble. Spyro turned to Cynder, who still had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Turning back to the plushie army, Spyro's left eye began to twitch. A demonic plushie Malefor was summoning magical plushie versions of golems in an attempt to destroy the world. Spyro let out an exasperated groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Note: Keep in mind this is past me talking here after missing a few updates here. As such, if there is anything that seems amiss in these comments, past me is likely referring to stuff that happened on FF.N. Again, I apologize for forgetting about A3O for a few updates, and promise it won't happen again.] 
> 
> (A/N: Hey everyone. More filler shenanigans for the time being and now with the proper proper numbering order. Yeah, as it turns out, the numberings are supposed to reflect the current chapter, which I didn't realize until a few days ago... XD;; Probably won't go back to fix the previous chapters, though, as they would take a lot of editing.
> 
> Anyways, considering the last chapter was this fic's most reviewed chapter by far, I can only take it that you guys really enjoy these fillers. So...yeah. Definitely going to be doing more of these in the future.
> 
> Just a note, though. I love getting reviews and am always happy to see what the latest feedback is, but this needs to be said. Last chapter I got a rather raunchy review that I'm still wondering if it was supposed to be a joke or not. I've long since deleted that review, but in any case, I would like to remind my viewers to please think about their review before posting it. Though our jokes can push the current T-rating a bit, I'd like to remind everyone that this is a family friendly story and would like the reviews to reflect that.
> 
> On a brighter note, though, the Spyro Loops now have their own FF.N Forum! If anyone wants to submit their own snip, but didn't want to sign up to the main site we write this on, well now's your chance. Additionally, you can also discuss it there, or talk about anything, really, as it's also a general purpose forum alongside a way people can submit their own snip.
> 
> Link is (currently) on my profile page. Additionally, it's on the first pages of the Spyro Forums list, a bit of the ways down, entitled 'Spyro Loops'. Has the same icon as the one for the current fic, so it's hard to miss. It's still a bit young at the moment, but we're slowly growing. Considering this fic manages to hold a readership of mid two hundred readers per-chapter, I hope to see a few of you there! :D
> 
> Legend 15.1: Only Sparx, folks. Only Sparx...
> 
> Classic 15.2: Super Fly Orbs are pretty great. Just saying.
> 
> Arms and Armor: Believe it or not, dragon lances are a thing in the Legend verse. They don't make a game appearance as far as I can remember, but they do appear in the art gallery for a few games.
> 
> Classic 15.4: IMO, Enter the Dragonfly in a nutshell. /shot
> 
> Legend 15.5: The bond between a mentor and his student is a sacred thing...even when the student gets trapped in a time loop and ends up becoming technically older than his mentor.
> 
> Classic 15.6: According to looper supplement material, there's a chance a looper can loop in as the opposite gender two percent of the time. Apparently, this does not apply if you're Classic. /shot
> 
> Legend 15.7: Really, this is what should happen with all the 'ancient evils' in the fanfiction archive. /shot
> 
> Fused 15.8: Ironically, I'm a cat person, and that's all we're saying about that. /shot
> 
> A Heart of Crystal: It's not jealousy, per se. It's just...cautious protection. [And before anyone asks, yes, Rarity and Spike did get married in the FiM loops. It makes more sense in context, trust me. /shot]
> 
> Legend 15.11: This originated from an inside joke. It's a tad bit funnier if you know the context behind it, but I'm hoping that the sheer absurdity of demonic magical plushie Malefor is enough to get a few giggles. XD;; /shot)


	16. A Legend's Inner Soul (!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx.)

**Fused 16.1 (feat: TokoWH, AbZHz101, and UkeleleNarwhal)**

Classic yawned. He wasn't sure exactly how late it was, but his counterpart had already fallen asleep. In the few hours Classic had spent working on the armor, he had learned a surprising amount about it, making great strides in his repairs. As he ran through the lines of coding, he smirked.

 _'I might actually be able to increase the defensive properties of this once I get done with the repairs. Besides the flinch guard, I might be able to add in something like Sparx' ability to dull hits,'_ he thought, index claw flicking through the air as he scrolled through the command line. Classic stretched, leaning back in his chair as his eyes drooped. He shook his head. _'Come on, Spyro, you need to stay awake. You only get oh so few precious minutes to work on this stuff when your loop parents won't bust in.'_

Classic drooped his head over the chair, taking a slight upside-down glance at his sleeping loop brother.

 _'Still need to teach him teleportation, too. Eh, that's something for tomorrow, I suppose,'_ he thought, an amused smile on his face. He paused, narrowing his eyes not a second later.

Legend was current curled up under the blankets, his body fidgeting every few seconds as he appeared to be curled up into a ball. Classic blinked.

 _'...oh crap,'_ Classic thought as he rolled out of his chair and onto his paws, eyes wide. _'Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap, crap, crap!'_

Classic rushed over to Legend's side, looking over the blanket to see that Legend's eyelids were held tightly shut and a toothy scowl was on his face.

"Crap!" Classic finally exclaimed as he began to shake his loop brother. "Come on! Please don't tell me that after everything that happened you're having another nightmare!"

He rolled Legend onto his back and began to shake his head. When Legend still failed to awaken from this, Classic finally stopped and placed his paws on the bed, his left eye twitching slightly. _'Of course. On top of_ everything else _, he'd_ have _to be a heavy sleeper!'_

Shaking his head, he looked at the clock. _'Well, if mom didn't come bursting in here yet, she probably didn't start her patrol yet. This dream walking business really makes things complicated, though...'_

At that thought, Classic's eyes lit up. If Nina was a dream walker, he must have inherited some skills from her, and if he combined that with what Luna had taught him during the Equestria loops, walking into his brother's night terror would be a viable option. With that decided, Classic pocketed the armor once again and sat back in his bed.

Taking in a large amount of oxygen, Classic emptied his thoughts, attempting to leave his corporeal form. After a bout of silence, he felt a frigid draft and found himself looking back at his peaceful body. _'Perfect! Now, it's time to fight off some nightmares!'_

The agitated mist that surrounded Legend's head was invaded by a translucent purple form, and Classic successfully gained entry into Legend's subconscious.

* * *

Legend opened his eyes. He watched as the four pillars of Fire, Ice, Electricity, and Earth were destroyed, signifying that he had passed the test. He padded his way towards the familiar library, the doors opening still giving him a familiar sense of euphoria. Even after so many loops, the sight still took his breath away.

"The entire history of the dragon race, it's all here," he recited the familiar line. Then, after pausing for a moment, he added with a fierce smirk, "Nearly."

Then he padded his way towards a pair of familiar books, his and Cynder's. He smiled fondly at his own book for a moment before turning to Cynder's. "A darker tale? Not if I have anything to say about it."

Then he heard a loud clapping from behind him. "Wow! You managed to go an entire week without trying to kill anything!"

Legend turned, snarling at the source of the mocking praise, his own dark form.

"Want a cookie?" Legend's darkness took a brief look before saying with false disappointment, "Oh, and we were doing so well too!"

Legend took in the surroundings of the soon-to-be battlefield in silence, and his darkness smirked. "Well, at least you aren't asking anything stupid like 'What are you doing here?' or sputtering around like a moron."

"Why do you always come out in places where I can't dodge?"

"Why do you have a need to justify your violence?" Dark Spyro laughed. "Always hiding it behind a façade of protection. Face it, too long without conflict, we get edgy, abrasive. When we got here, even the thought of spending an indefinite amount of time in..."—Dark Spyro paused as if trying to hold back bile—"...peace scared us. We needed to spill blood. And there was such a convenient target making a nuisance of himself and then dragging us off to a secluded area. What an idiot!"

"You're wrong! About everything!" Legend declared.

"Oh, please." Dark Spyro sighed. "Just admit it. We're fucked up. We're a Sadist and a Masochist all in one! We gladly suffer for others, especially if we think there's a purpose. I mean really, all it took for you to back down from Ihy was him mentioning that, by staying our course and being the World Tree's Whipping Boy, we're helping speed up the repairs? And what if they never get done? What then? But, whatever, I'm sure Cynder—"

Whatever Dark Spyro was going to say next, Legend didn't let him. He lashed out at his darkness and the fight began.

* * *

Classic flew in, performing a small loop before making his landing in what appeared to be an ancient library full of scrolls. "Interesting. I didn't realize Ro was _that_ into books."

His inspection was cut short, however, just as he laid eyes on a shelf that held a book with Cynder's name on it. A loud crash resounded from the nearby hallway and Classic sped toward the corridor, witnessing a very strange sight. The dark form that Legend had assumed during their fight was actively rebelling against its owner, and Legend was beyond furious.

"Don't you see the fury and violence that you so desperately crave to inflict on me? Just give in to our bloodlust, it's just a part of who we are..." Classic heard the demon speak with a sickly sweet air.

Having none of this, Legend continued to trade blows with his dark form. "There is no 'we'! You are a burden to me and it would be my pleasure to purge you from my body!"

"Is that what you truly think of me? Words hurt, you know."

Classic had had enough of this little show. He stood up on his hind legs. "HEY! You leave my brother alone, you faker!"

Both dragons turned in complete confusion. Dark Spyro took the first opportunity to break the stillness, addressing Legend as he did so. "How cute, you summoned your 'brother' to fight your battles." The shady demon looked back toward the intruder. "Ah, Classic, the suicidal idiot! We're already in a secluded location, want to see if the third time really is the charm? Your brother would love to pull the true dragon out of you, isn't that right?" Legend bared his fangs at his twisted look-a-like. "If that isn't what you want, do us a favor and get lost."

"I don't know who or what you are, but you copied my charming looks to make my bro miserable last nightmare, and I will not stand for it." Classic then pointed his words toward his brother. "Ro! Get in a good position, we're going to let this punk know what he's messing with!"

Legend snapped out of his stupor, getting into an advantageous location in the hallway, and noticed that something was off about the sudden appearance of his brother. "Thanks, Spy. But how did you get here?"

"I have my ways. Now, you do your thing and I do my thing. That stupid copy won't know what hit him." At this, both brothers smirked.

The pitch-black dragon spoke up, trying to keep himself from upchucking at this display of fraternity. "So, I take it that you wish to take me on two-on-one? Where's your sense of honor?"

"Don't speak to me about honor, you worthless ingrate." Legend's confidence grew as he saw his brother standing at the opposite side. "The only reason why you exist in me is because of an accident with the Celestial Alignment. You should be grateful that I haven't found a way to rid myself of you, and therefore you should listen very carefully when I tell you to leave me be."

Growling at this denial of authority, the dark form revolved so that its flanks faced both Spyros, anticipating a move from either side. Dark Spyro didn't have to wait long before he was restricted by a field of telekinesis, initiated by Classic. He was surprised by the apparent rise in his mana capacity, and reasoned that dreams were probably more lax on bodily limitations. With a worried glance, Classic hoped that Legend would catch on to this himself. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do when Legend asked how he got inside his mind.

Meanwhile, Legend busied himself with pummeling his dark counterpart to a pulp. As his limbs shot forward like missiles, Legend noticed that he was barely breaking a sweat. Normally, if he were throwing strikes this rapidly, he would have run out of breath by now.

Dark Spyro took advantage of Legend's break in the suspension of disbelief, and caused him to succumb to his self-imposed restrictions. Legend dropped to the floor in fatigue and the shady lizard broke free from the psychic cage that Classic had imposed on him. Panting from the recent onslaught, Dark Spyro lifted Legend off the floor with a vice grip on his throat, a wicked sneer painted on his face. "You say you own me? Don't make me laugh. I am you in every sense of the word. You? You're just a fragile mask that desperately latches onto my face."

Classic saw Legend freeze up in pure terror, unable to scream due to the clenched paws on his throat. It was at that moment that the dream walker knew what he had to do. "Ro! It's just a dream! None of this is actually happening!"

The dark dragon spun around and gritted his teeth in fury and fear while he kept Legend in his now weakening hold. Continuing to deconstruct the nightmare, Classic yelled at the top of his lungs, "This monster has no power over you! Don't let it lead you to believe otherwise! That's what it wants you to think! By letting yourself believe its lies, you're just giving it control!"

Dark Spyro floundered to regain control over the dream. "LIES! How do we know that you aren't just a figment of this whelp's imagination?"

Classic closed his eyes and exposed the truth to his brother. "I walked into your dream, Ro, just like how Mom does it. I had this ability before but it's stronger now, since I inherit the skill from her now."

Arms dropping to his sides, Dark Spyro shuddered at his now inevitable defeat. Legend was released and, instead of lashing out the dragon beside him, he stepped toward his brother. "You walked into my dream? You saw things that should be known to me and only me."

"I'm sorry, bro. But I couldn't let Mom walk into this nightmare. She would flip, and we would have to hide from the government and everything. I don't want that for you. I don't want that for us."

Understanding his brother's intrusion of privacy, Legend asked, "Did you look in Cynder's book?"

Shaking his head, Classic assured his brother, "I saw it, but then I heard you fighting in the hallway."

As the two dragons struggled to continue their awkward conversation, they noticed Dark Spyro slinking away, aware of what was in store for him. Legend raised a concrete wall to cut off the dark dragon, now fully aware that he was dreaming. "We'll discuss this later. For now, my dark form will soon know his place."

A scowl creased Dark Spyro's visage, his unnaturally white eyes glaring daggers at the two dragons. "You think me a form? Please. I'm not merely a form. I _am_ you. The _real_ you. How long will it take for you to finally grasp this?"

Legend narrowed his eyes, getting down into a fighting stance. As Classic did the same, he looked over to his brother. "Listen, Ro. This is _your_ dream. _You_ have control here."

Classic was quickly interrupted by a dark laugh. Turning his head back to Dark Spyro, he saw the dark, twisted form of Legend's giving a grin that showed nearly every fang he had. Classic narrowed his eyes, a scowl on his face.

"What's so funny!?" Classic demanded, a puff of smoke escaping his nostrils.

"Oh, I just found it hilarious how quick you were to forget that I'm _also_ a part of that idiot over there. No matter how much he tries to deny it," Dark Spyro said, narrowing his eyes as he gave a sadistic grin. "That means _I_ can _also_ control this place!"

With that, the room started to get dark and the air became cold. From the shadows on the ground, an entire mob of apes began to rise. Legend growled, narrowing his eyes. Classic quickly looked over to his brother.

"If he's going to try and call in reinforcements, then I think it's time for some cavalry ourselves!" Classic said, giving a smirk.

Legend gave a nod as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A few seconds later, five pillars of light flashed, and the guardians and the Chronicler blinked into existence. Seeing this sight, Dark Spyro gave a sadistic, distorted laugh.

"Really? Is that the best you can come up with?" Dark Spyro asked. "Four has-beens who couldn't defend themselves from an eight-year-old and needed the aid of a child to rescue them, and a hermetic librarian who probably hasn't fought anything more terrifying than a bookworm since the day he hatched?" Dark Spyro straightened himself as he crossed his forelegs. "With a front like that, it's no wonder Malefor went unchallenged for centuries."

"Well, it's a good thing your forces don't even match up to that of a six-year-old," Legend spat back, narrowing his eyes. "The guardians may have had some bad luck, but that still doesn't change the fact that, even now, despite the many loops I've been through, they possess powers I've only ever glimpsed and dare not even try to wield." A grin crept onto his face. "In here though, in my dreamscape, I suppose that wouldn't really be an issue now, would it?"

The dream version of the Chronicler stepped forth, shaking his head at the black-scaled dragon's naivety.

"While it is true that I am merely 'a hermetic librarian who has never fought anything more terrifying than a horde of bookworms and dustbunnies,' as you so drolly put it," he said, a stern expression on his face, "I think you've forgotten one thing. This place that you are oh-so-casually defiling...is _mine_. I have had ten generations to learn from the vast tomes within these hollowed walls and just as much time to perfect my skill." He growled lowly, hunkering down. "I grasp concepts that you cannot even _fathom_."

The air began to crackle in a way that Classic recognized... _Magic!_ Somehow, his facsimile was using magic!

**_"Be gone from this place, cretin!"_ **

A bright light engulfed the surrounding area and Dark Spyro was forced to close his eyes as a searing pain surrounded him, the sound of apes howling in agony echoing out around him. As the pain and light began to subside, Dark Spyro struggled to stand as he saw his army had diminished to nothing. Legend stood across from him, a smug grin on his face as the combined front of the guardians, Classic, and the Chronicler stood beside him. Dark Spyro growled.

"You think it'll be that easy?" Dark Spyro said with a scowl that bared far too many fangs than any dragon should ever have. He took a deep breath and stood upright. "Fine then. If you are so unwilling to accept who you really are, then I guess it is my job to show you just how _fucked up_ you really are."

With that, a dark portal began to form behind him. Dark Spyro backed towards it, a sadistic grin on his face. "If you truly wish to fight me, then go ahead and follow me." Dark Spyro turned towards the portal, but not without one last glance towards Legend. "That is, _if you dare._ "

With that, he jumped through the portal. Classic stood still for a few seconds before he looked at Legend.

"Well, what are we going to do?" he asked, his body beginning to relax a bit now that the immediate danger had passed. "Really, if we wanted to, we could just say screw it and you can conjure up something peaceful until he tries to rear his ugly head again. I mean, this is obviously a trap."

Legend narrowed his eyes at the portal. "Be that as it may, I am sick of this. I'm sick of always worrying I might lose myself and slip into this accursed form. Always worrying about the damage I would cause, the beings I'd end up hurting..."

Legend's voice shook as he looked down, closing his eyes. Several seconds passed before he looked back up at the portal with a determined glint in his eyes.

"It's time I finally put a stop to this, once and for all!"

With that, Legend made his way over to the portal and Classic's face fell. All he could think of was what would happen if Nina were to jump in while they were chasing his brother's dark form across the dreamscape. Nonetheless, seeing how determined Legend was, Classic was quick to follow. The two purple dragons made their way through the portal, the guardians and the Chronicler fading away as they did.

* * *

Bright sunlight assaulted their eyes as the two dragons appeared on the other side of the portal. Legend was the first to regain focus and, when he saw the surrounding arena with the crowded stands of apes looking down on him, he scowled. He knew this place _far_ too well.

As Classic opened his eyes, he looked around with wide eyes. "What the heck?" he muttered, turning to Legend. "What is this place?"

Legend turned to reply, but he was interrupted when a sharp clapping sound filled the air. Both dragons looked up towards the overlook of the arena and quickly bared their fangs at the sight.

"Well, well. Looks like you were foolish enough to follow me after all," Dark Spyro said, looking down at them pompously from what appeared to be an emperor's throne. "I don't know whether to commend you for your bravery or laugh at you for your idiocy."

Legend was the first to react, flying upwards with claws bared. Just as he was about to fly out of the arena, however, he was stopped abruptly by a purple dome that formed around it.

Dark Spyro laughed, a sadistic smirk on his face as he rested his head against his paw. "What entertainment would it be if you took the most direct approach? These people here paid good money to see you suffer over and over again, so it'd be a shame not to give it to them, now wouldn't it?"

With that, Dark Spyro snapped his claws. From inside the arena, two dark shadows began to form into the shape of two large scorpion creatures. Classic hunkered down, a smirk on his face.

"No problem! This'll be easy!" he proclaimed before charging at the two beings.

Legend's eyes went wide as he flew after him. "No! Wait!"

Classic paid no heed to the warning as he charged in with horns blazing. He went to ram into one of the scorpion creatures, but the scorpion held its claws in front of its face. Classic smacked into the claws and staggered back from the impact. Seeing that it did little to no damage, he narrowed his eyes. The scorpion went to stab at Classic with its stinger, and Classic barely dodged to the side. Taking a deep breath, he let out a burst of flames. The scorpion held its claw in front of itself again and the flames harmlessly bounced off its outer shell.

Classic growled, baring his fangs. He was just about to open his subspace to pull out a super-charge orb, when a shadow loomed over him. Glancing back, Classic's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped. The second scorpion had snuck up behind him and was about to bring its stinger down. Just as it did, Classic was caught by Legend and the two tumbled out of the way.

As they rolled to a stop, Legend was the first to get to his paws. Looking down at Classic, who was currently trying to shake the daze off, he narrowed his eyes.

"You can't just go charging in haphazardly against these things," Legend said, looking back at the two scorpions. "You need to break their stance first, then quickly follow up with a powerful blow."

Classic looked up at Legend with wide eyes and Legend nodded in response.

"Watch me, then follow my lead." With that, Legend charged at one of the scorpions.

The scorpion went to stab at Legend with its stinger, but Legend rolled to the side. He got to his paws as quick as possible and continued the charge. The scorpion was quick to hold its claws in front of its face, much like it had for Classic, but Legend was no less deterred. Lowering his head, he positioned his horns under the scorpion's claws and, in one swift manoeuvre, rose upward, causing the scorpion to stagger back as its claws went flailing. In this brief window of opportunity, Legend formed a spiky mace around his tail using the earth element and slammed the scorpion hard in the face with it. The scorpion went tumbling back before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Legend looked back at Classic and gave him a nod, which snapped Classic out of his momentary daze. Narrowing his eyes as he gave a smirk, Classic joined the battle once again.

From atop the arena, Dark Spyro watched on with an amused expression, summoning more and more scorpions and spectres every time one was destroyed.

"It's enraging, isn't it?" Dark Spyro asked, sitting up straight. "Being forced to go through all this all over again because of some unseen force."

Legend shook his head, trying his best to keep focus on the enemies in front of him. Dark Spyro gave a sadistic grin, getting out of his chair and walking towards the edge of the stand.

"Whose to say the same won't happen again once the loop breaks?" Dark Spyro asked, looking down with narrowed eyes. "Whose to say some other unforeseen force won't put you through some other kind of hell? Whose to say there aren't beings in this world worse than Malefor lurking around?"

Legend growled, knocking down a shadow ape before he turned to his dark counterpart, his eyes narrowing at its shadowy glow.

"Then I'll just stand up and face it like I always do!" Legend spat, quickly dodging a club to the face and retaliating with a tail strike. "It's my duty as a purple dragon to protect this world no matter what!"

At this, Dark Spyro scoffed. "Oh, yes. To be a perfect little hero. To be that 'pillar of strength' to such a broken world. To support it when it would be much easier to watch it fall..." Dark Spyro said, beginning to pace back and forth, never taking his eyes off Legend.

"How long will you keep up that creed? How long before you eventually snap from some unforeseen force putting you through psychologically breaking 'adventure' after 'adventure', to never have the eternal peace you try oh so hard to strive for?"

Legend let out a low growl, glaring at his dark counterpart up in the stands. In this momentary lapse, he felt a sharp pain to his chest as an ape punched him with a strong right hook. Legend went tumbling back, coming to an abrupt stop against the arena wall. Dark Spyro gave a sadistic grin as he watched Legend struggle to pick himself up.

"Just like the people watching in the arena now, the Admins have been watching the entire time. Should we win, they will nod and say that it is expected and just. Should we lose, they will bemoan the terrible twist ending but do nothing to change the outcome. What loyalty should be owed to ones such as they? Those who care not. Why should we care for them? Their love is fickle and fleeting, why do we desire it?"

Legend held his claws over his ears, his eyes shut tight. Dark Spyro smirked as he watched Legend shake his head from side to side, jeers roaring from the crowd. His shadow beasts began to glow a dark purple as more began to form into existence. Legend got to his paws, looking towards the approaching mob with a scowl. Hunkering down, his muscles tensed up. Dark Spyro scoffed.

"Now are you beginning to see how pointless this is? How much easier it would be just to watch the world burn?" Dark Spyro asked. "Malefor realized that early on, and who knows? Maybe it's a realization all purple dragons come to. It's only a matter of time before you come to your—"

Dark Spyro's ranting was cut off when a lightning bolt struck down from above him. He rolled out of the way, his eyes darting over to the other purple dragon who stood with a defiant smirk.

" _Hello?_ Don't tell me you forgot I'm here too!" Classic mocked, hunkering down as he turned to Legend. "Don't listen to him! He's just trying to get in your head!" Classic rushed over to him. "The more he manages to demoralize you, the more powerful he gets!"

Dark Spyro scoffed, looking towards Classic with a sadistic smirk. "Please. As if he had a chance in the first place. He is nothing more than a shell of me in denial. Sooner or later, he will realize the truth of my words."

"Oh really?" Classic said, quickly sliding in between Legend and the shadow monsters while giving a defiant smirk. "And who says he's doing this for the fame?"

"As if you're the one to talk, little Mr Hero," Dark Spyro spat, narrowing his eyes at Classic.

Classic scowled. "Okay, so maybe I do enjoy playing the hero. But really, what's wrong with being happy because you do the right thing? I can't claim to speak for Ro, but during my adventures I've met some of my best friends and I know they'll stand by my side no matter what. And while I can't say it for sure..." he trailed off, looking at Legend. "I bet the same holds true for him. We're not saving the world for the approval of people we might never meet, we're doing it because we care about the people who are living in the same world we are!"

"Even if he's always being put through adventures that he'd rather not go through, that doesn't mean he's alone," Classic continued, a smirk on his face. "From what I've seen of the loopers from his world, they're all willing to stand by him no matter what. While I can't say I approve of certain _relationships_ between them..." Classic shook his head, "...that just goes to show how my bro here will never be on his own."

Classic gave a grin. "Heck, if his adventures get too bad, I'll have the Professor of my world figure out a way to get to his world so I can help him out!"

Classic turned to Legend, the smirk still on his face as he held out his paw. Legend paused as he took in what Classic had said. A slight smile appeared on his face. He took Classic's paw and stood up straight. The shadow beasts shuddered, beginning to lose their area as they began backing away. Legend took the lead, glancing back at Classic for a second.

"Thanks," he said, before looking back at the shadow beasts.

Classic shook his head, giving a grin.

The two dragons turned back towards the shadow beasts, the crowd now beginning to cheer for a completely different reason. Dark Spyro scowled as he watched the two purple dragons charge forth. He shook his head.

"No matter," he said, opening up a portal. "This is just one of the many things wrong with this shell. The next one won't be so easy to refute." With that, Dark Spyro jumped through the portal.

As the last of the shadow beasts were dispatched, the crowd cheered at their victory and both Spyros were quick to fly up towards where Dark Spyro had been watching. Landing down and seeing the portal in front of them, Classic glanced over to Legend. He nodded, looking to the portal with a determined glint in his eyes. Classic gave a smirk and they darted through.

* * *

As they came out on the other side, the two Spyros skidded to a stop. Legend took a moment to shake his head, regaining his composure as he began to look around. When he recognized the ancient stone architecture of the temples around him, his eyes widened.

"Warfang? Why did he send us here?" he asked out loud, not to anyone in particular.

"Well, considering this looks like something out of the medieval times, which probably means it's from your world, you tell me," Classic said, clutching a paw to his head as he looked around.

Legend glanced around as he took in the familiar surroundings. They appeared to be on the outskirts of the city. Legend narrowed his eyes and let out a breathless exhale.

"Something's not right, though..." he said, turning to Classic. "It looks almost the same and yet something feels... _off_."

Suddenly, the ground shook and both purple dragons struggled to keep their balance. Legend's head darted around as he tried to figure out what was going on. Finally, on the horizon appeared a sight that made his jaw drop. What to be a moving plain quickly revealed itself to be a massive army of apes, far larger than anything Malefor had thrown at him before. Classic's eyes went wide and he staggered back, struggling to say anything.

"You know, I'm all for kicking bad guy butt, but when _I_ know it would be a better idea to run..." Classic finally said, turning his head towards Legend.

Legend's eyes were still wide as he stood frozen in place. With all his vast years of looping experience, he could easily take on a mob of apes no problem, but this was far more than anything he was used to. He shook his head, desperately trying to regain his composure. As he glanced around, though, his pupils shrank as he finally realized why this version of Warfang was strange.

This Warfang possessed no protective wall to keep an army out.

Legend began to breathe heavily as this realization sunk in. As what appeared to be three armies mashed together on the horizon grew closer, a cold air washed over the two dragons.

"What's the matter?" an icy cold voice rang out.

Classic spun around, seeing Dark Spyro standing not far off. Classic hunkered down, a scowl on his face, but Legend's eyes were still locked on the approaching army, his mouth agape. Dark Spyro smirked.

"Come on, me. All the people of Warfang will die if you don't do something! They're counting on you!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "It's not like they could ever do anything without us! Hell, I'm surprised they can clean up after themselves without us handing them the rag!"

Then he turned to Classic. "And you, brother dear, have no ground to stand on! You're just as bad! Would it be so wrong to let those fools sort out their own problems for once? Weren't all the dragons turned to crystal because they, unprovoked, started insulting the guy who did it? Let 'em stew in there for all eternity!"

"And how the heck were they supposed to know that!?" Classic spat, hunkering down with a scowl on his face. "Besides, I chose to help them!"

"Oh, gee. This tired argument again?" Dark Spyro taunted, lazily rolling his eyes. "I thought I already made this clear last time. You didn't choose to go on any of your adventures. You were roped into them because the beings of the world were too incompetent and needed the help of a child to sort out their mess."

As the verbal fight between Classic and Dark Spyro continued, Legend could only blink, his eyes glued on the approaching onslaught. Classic looked back at Legend before turning back to Dark Spyro with a scowl, letting out a low growl.

"Oh? Did I hit a sore spot? And exactly what do you intend to do about that?" Dark Spyro taunted, a smug look about him. "You only barely managed to survive our last battle, and that was with your pathetic friends helping you out."

Classic growled and shook his head. _'Gah, there's no use trying to fight him. Doing that isn't going to stop the army heading our way!'_ He turned to the nearly catatonic Legend. "Hey, remember! This is a dream! This isn't really happening!"

"And that makes a difference?" asked Dark Spyro, beginning to pace around the two dragons. "I mean, if he can't stop it in his own dreams, how will he be able to do so in the real world where people ask him to perform miracles like that on a daily basis? Hell, thanks to these loops, what's stopping something _worse_ from popping up? Something even more bullshit than what's being presented to us right now, that we have no choice but to attempt to stop despite the blatant impossibility of it?"

Classic looked back with a sharp glare, baring his fangs, but Dark Spyro didn't even flinch. Classic shook his head, unmoving as he stared down his dark counterpart. Dark Spyro stood with relaxed posture, a smirk on his face. Several crucial seconds passed...and Classic smirked. Not a second later, he began to chuckle. Dark Spyro raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Dark Spyro asked in a sarcastic manner, narrowing his eyes. "Has realizing the truth finally driven you mad?"

Classic shook his head, looking up with a confident grin. "No, no," he said, his voice condescending now. "I'm just surprised that, with all your attempts to demoralize us, you forgot one little fact."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Dark Spyro spat.

Classic smirked, turning to Legend, who was still staring motionless at the oncoming army. Classic raced in front of him, getting between him and the approaching sight on the horizon.

"You're forgetting that my bro here is a lot more powerful than he was in the baseline!" Classic said, giving Legend a smirk. "You said it yourself. The only one who's capable of giving you challenge in your baseline anymore is that Malefor guy, right?"

Legend jumped back, blinking as he stared at Classic. "Well, yeah, but—"

"No buts," Classic said, shaking his head. "You said it yourself. You can easily tear your way through that guy's army like they were nothing now, right?"

"Well, yes, but never this many at once!" Legend said, glancing over Classic's shoulder at the approaching army.

"Then I'll help you! I promised that only a few moments ago, remember?" Classic said. "Listen, the point I'm trying to make is, from what you've told me, you've been through _far_ worse! Heck, you managed to survive the apocalypse by pulling your planet back together!"

Classic looked back towards the approaching army before turning back to Legend, who was looking on with wide eyes.

"You get what I'm trying to say, right?" Classic said, placing his paws on Legend's shoulders. "The point I'm trying to make is, after what you've been through in baseline, you don't have to worry about being asked to do the impossible, because there's nothing that can be thrown at you that can't be handled!" Classic sat back on his hind legs. "And if you ever feel like you're being overwhelmed, don't worry. Even if I'm not there, you still have your friends in your world to help you out!"

"Hey, what about those old dudes that you called up earlier? Couldn't they help?" Classic asked.

Dark Spyro began to smirk. "I don't think the guardians will be of much help right now," he said, nodding to another point outside the city where Cyril, Terrador, Ignitus and Volteer were doing battle with the Golem that had pursued Spyro and Cynder from the catacombs to Warfang. "And as for the Chonicler... Well, if that old windbag ever leaves his library, he'd probably turn to dust at the first breeze."

Then he turned back to Legend. "Come on, it'll be easy. Just let them sort out their own problems—just this once! I mean, this is just a dream, right? It's not like anyone's actually going to get hurt or anything. All you have to do is wait," he said with a laugh. "Just do nothing, like you've been doing. It's that easy!"

Classic gritted his teeth as Legend fidgeted. They both knew that if Legend actually chose to stand aside now, it would be that much harder not to do it again later, especially due to the resetting nature of the loops.

"Gah!" Classic exclaimed. "Just do something, Ro!"

"What?" Legend snapped back. "What should I do, Spy? I can't take down that many enemies at once! At least not before they enter the city and slaughter its inhabitants! As long as Warfang has no wall, it's impossible!"

"Then make one!" Classic retorted without thinking.

Legend was taken aback, his eyes wide. Judging from Classic's wide eyes and heavy breathing, it was clear that his remark had come from desperation. Legend blinked. _'Make a wall...?'_

"...That's it!"

Before Classic could say anything, Legend was already off into the air, pushing his wings as fast as he could go. Coming to a hover above Warfang, he saw the army not far off now. He bit his lip, beads of sweat beginning to form on his head, but he quickly shook it, a determined glint in his eyes.

 _'I pulled the planet back together._ _Several times now,_ _in fact!'_ Legend thought, a faint green glow beginning to illuminate from him as he pulled his paws together. _'Come on now! Compared to that, this should be youngling's play!'_

Dark Spyro looked up at the sight with an amused expression. "This should be good."

Legend let out a growl as he began to concentrate, eyes tightly closed as he curled into a ball, his green aura glowing brighter by the second. As Dark Spyro looked on with amusement, the ground began to shake. His eyes widened as his head began darting back and forth before he finally rested his eyes on Legend.

"No way!" Dark Spyro exclaimed, hunkering down as he spread his wings. "There's no way you can pull this off, damn it! I won't allow it!"

Dark Spyro darted into the air with claws bared. As he got closer to Legend, he was suddenly cut off by a bolt of electricity. Dark Spyro fell back in the air as several more bolts headed his way. He growled, eyes darting towards the ground. From below, Classic smirked, his eyes glowing faintly as another bolt of lightning struck the dark dragon in the back, directly between his wings. Dark Spyro cringed, his wings freezing up as volts of electricity pulsed through him. Without the use of his wings, he plummeted to the ground.

As this happened, Legend continued to focus his energy, the green aura around him growing brighter by the second. Finally, Legend opened his eyes, focused and determined as he lifted his forelegs. The ground shook violently with a thunderous crumbling sound. Finally, the ground around Warfang began to rise, forming a thick earth wall around the city, stretching for a good few miles as Legend summoned every bit of strength he had. As the wall's construction came to a stop, Legend began to pant. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes.

Not done yet, Legend brought his forelegs down and the ground before the wall started to give way, forming a massive trench. Finally, Legend looked outward as he took a few deep breaths. The army had stopped in their tracks, frozen at the sight of the newly constructed fortifications. Legend gave a small smirk, seeing a few beginning to back away. Not a second later, the army began to disperse in a dark cloud. With that, Legend breathed a sigh of relief and his wings finally gave out.

As Legend began to fall, Classic charged forward. Summoning forth a mini-whirlwind, he slowed Legend's descent as he came to rest on the ground. Legend struggled to get to his feet, shaking his head as he finally regained balance. Looking up, he smiled. Classic gave a smirk in response.

A low growling sound pierced the scene and both dragons turned their head to see Dark Spyro looking at them with a toothy scowl. Classic grinned.

"Hey, just saying, the score is two to zero now," he taunted. "Give up yet?"

Dark Spyro said nothing. Instead, a dark portal opened up behind him and he jumped through it.

Classic turned to Legend, still grinning. "Looks like he's starting to run out of ideas."

"That...or he's getting desperate," Legend said between pants. "We should be careful. After this, there's no telling what he'll throw at us next."

Classic gave a nod before turning towards the portal. Taking one last deep breath to gather any lost energy inside him, he headed towards the portal, Legend in tow.

* * *

The air was thick as Legend's surroundings started to come into view. The area around him was dark, but he recognized the ancient corridors and architecture right away.

"The dragon temple...?" he muttered, slowly beginning to walk down the corridor he was in.

Not far off, he could see the room housing the pool of visions, and not far beyond that was the training room where he had learned to use the four elements. He blinked.

 _'Why would Dark send me here...?'_ he thought, cautiously making his way towards the pool of visions. _'Exactly what could be here that he could use against me...?'_

Legend paused before he began to look around. His eyes went wide as his head started darting back and forth.

"Spy!? Spy, where are you!?" Legend called, quickly darting down the corridor as he entered the room with the pool of visions. Glancing around and seeing no one there, he headed towards the training room.

"Spy!" he called, looking around at the large empty room.

"It's funny how you pretend to care for that whelp."

Legend spun around, his eyes narrowed and fangs bared as he saw Dark Spyro walk out of the shadows. He growled.

"What did you do to him!?" Legend demanded, hunkering down.

"Me? I didn't do anything to Classic," Dark Spyro said, his voice carrying a large amount of a venom at the mention of Classic's nickname. "I can assure you, he's perfectly safe. Though, why it concerns you, I have no idea."

"Where is he!?"

Dark Spyro rolled his eyes, a scowl on his face as he shook his head. "Fine." He sighed, beginning to walk around Legend. "If you must know, just look behind you."

Legend scowled, unwilling to take his eyes off Dark Spyro for a second. Dark Spyro gave an annoyed glance before he began walking towards the balcony. As he got towards the alcove leading to it, he motioned for Legend to follow. Legend growled, doing so as he made sure to keep a good distance behind. As the two dragons headed onto the balcony, Legend was quick to note the one key difference between the real temple and this dream version of it.

Around the temple, a translucent dome with a purple tint stood firm. Legend paused, glancing around at it with wide eyes. Dark Spyro merely gave him an indifferent glance before heading to the edge of the balcony.

"Are you just going to stand in amazement, or do you really not care about your supposed _brother_ after all?" Dark asked, his voice seething with venom as he mentioned the word 'brother.'

Legend paused, narrowing his eyes at Dark Spyro, who began to back away from the balcony, motioning for Legend to take a look. Cautiously, he began to head towards the balcony's edge, never taking his eyes off Dark for a second. Once he was at the edge, he dared to take a glance down before quickly looking back at his dark counterpart. Not a second later, though, he gasped and glanced down again.

Outside the dome stood several different beings, all of which Legend was quick to recognize from his adventures. He could see the guardians sans Ignitus, his Hunter, the Chronicler, and several of the people he had rescued during his adventures. Most importantly, though, he saw Classic standing outside the barrier, desperately trying to get in as he rammed against the dome's surface with all his might. Legend scowled, quickly turning to Dark Spyro.

"What did you do!?" he demanded, hunkering down into attack position.

Dark Spyro gave a nonchalant shrug. "I didn't do anything. The reason this dome exists is your own fault." He walked back towards the temple as he glanced to the sky. "Always keeping your guard up, refusing to get close to anyone, even when they try to become close to you."

Legend narrowed his eyes, growling. Dark Spyro huffed, glancing back for a second before he flew back into the temple's training area. Legend spread his wings, quick to chase after him.

Legend landed on the ground in the training area, already hunkering down as he glared at Dark Spyro. The two dragons stood apart, neither one making a move. Classic was trapped outside the temple and Dark Spyro said it was his fault. Legend shook his head.

 _'This has to be his doing,'_ Legend thought, keeping his gazed fixed on his dark counterpart. _'I can't let him get to me. He nearly did that the last two times, and now Spy isn't here to snap me out of it. I can't believe anything he says. I need to figure out how he set up this dome to separate us, and then tear it down as quick as possible.'_

Dark Spyro chuckled. Legend raised an eyebrow at this.

"I said it before. I had nothing to do with this dome."

Legend's eyes went wide before he quickly shook his head. _'What? How did he...? He can't read my thoughts, can he!?'_

Dark Spyro shook his head, turning towards Legend with a flat expression. "Why do you insist on denying me?"

Legend didn't hesitate to snap in response. "I know better than to let you take control! You're the reason why my brother and I had to go to great lengths to deceive our parents!" Legend bristled, resisting the urge to attack so he could finish his argument. "If you didn't exist, I wouldn't have been burned alive and Spy wouldn't have been wounded at my claws!"

Dark Spyro rolled his eyes. "True, true. If I weren't there to force your paw, I wouldn't have seen the true extent of his powers, and my own."

Legend growled, beginning to bare his fangs. "This body is mine! You have no right to use it for your twisted purposes and you have no right to call the gifts of a purple dragon your own!" Legend's voice became dangerously low as his body twitched in anticipation. "You only exist because of a freak accident with the Celestial Alignment! You're an illness, and I will find a cure!"

Dark Spyro slowly moved closer to his counterpart, growling. "Well then, you'll be looking for that cure for eternity. You know why, don't you?"

Legend merely glowered in response.

"I _am_ you," Dark Spyro said coldly, stopping inches away from Legend. "I am what you hide under that perfect hero mask, beneath the valiant whelp that rises to whatever task is laid before him. You call me an illness, but you refuse to realize that your entire personality is artificial. To be completely honest, you're nothing more than a mask that hides me."

This was his last word before Legend lunged forward to pin Dark Spyro. Even though the dark dragon failed to dodge this, he retaliated by throwing his claws at Legend's face, forcing him to bend backwards to avoid the sharp weapons. Seeing that Legend was leaving his torso open, Dark Spyro drove his hind paw into his gut, forcing him off of his body. Both rolled back into upright stances and proceeded to circle each other, watching for any sudden moves.

Finally, Legend spoke up, glaring at his counterpart. "You say I'm a mask, correct?"

Dark Spyro narrowed his eyes. "That is true."

"Well, if I'm a mask, then I can be pulled off whenever you want. You shouldn't have to wait until I'm in some vulnerable state," Legend said coldly. "If I'm just a mask, how do I manage to be with my brother without losing control and attacking him, like what happened at the park? You did want to bring the 'true dragon' out of him, right?"

The dark dragon shook his head, giving a low growl. "Really? Fine, if you want to go this route, why is it that the oh so knowledgeable Chronicler and the Guardians have never diagnosed me as a disease? They never told you that I'm a foreign contaminant of some sort. All they say is that I'm the darkness within you. How am I an illness, then?"

"You didn't answer my question," Legend retorted flatly.

The dark dragon held his unimpressed expression. "You didn't answer mine, either."

Legend narrowed his eyes and growled, baring his fangs. "What is this dome? How are you doing this?"

Dark Spyro huffed. "I already told you. This dome is your own doing."

"And what makes you think I'm going to believe that!?" Legend spat, muscles tightening. "Everything you've said so far has been nothing but an attempt to demoralize me, a sick and twisted version of my own psyche. Every time you've tried to use something against me, I've managed to prove you wrong. So how about we just cut the crap, because it isn't going to work!"

Dark Spyro smirked, hunkering down. "So, you admit everything you've been shown so far is a part of your psyche?"

Legend jerked, his eyes going wide. He quickly hunkered back down, fangs bared. "That's not what I meant!"

"Tsk, tsk," Dark Spyro said, beginning to circle around his counterpart. "The mask is starting to slip. You know it, don't you? That what I say is true."

"Shut up! Just tell me how to get rid of this stupid dome!"

"Why are you so insistent on humoring that whelp?" Dark Spyro asked, pausing in his tracks. "He's nothing but an annoying kid who doesn't deserve the right to be called a purple dragon!"

"Spy... Spy may have been that way at first, but deep down he's a good dragon," Legend said, casting a sharp glare at Dark Spyro.

"Really?" Dark Spyro asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. "If he's such a good dragon, how come you refuse to let him into this temple? How come he's stuck out there with the other common riffraff?" He smirked, his soulless white eyes looking at his counterpart coldly. "Despite how annoying he may be, I do have to appreciate that he shares the same goal as I. All he wants is to tear that mask off, to finally let the real us out..."

"Shut up! You are not the real me!" Legend snapped, fangs bared as he got ready to pounce.

"Oh really now?" Dark Spyro asked, baring his fangs in turn. "Then tell me something. That whelp insists on calling us his brother, despite the fact that he is nothing more than an idiot who lucked into his spot as a _hero_. If you aren't us, then tell me... Can you look me directly in the eyes and honestly refer to that moron as your brother?"

Legend let out a low growl, scowling at his dark counterpart, standing firm. Several seconds passed before a smirk creased Dark Spyro's face.

"I thought so," Dark Spyro said as he began to circle around Legend again. "Really, the only dragons you let yourself get close to are Ignitus and Cynder, and even then..."

Dark Spyro grinned as two dragons came into view on the balcony. Ignitus and Cynder appeared there, both of them looking on mournfully. Cynder raised a claw, placing her paw on what appeared to be an invisible barrier in the archway. Legend looked back with wide eyes before he glared back at Dark with a loud growl.

Dark Spyro shook himself before speaking again. "You know, I can't be really surprised, though, that you let Ignitus and Cynder in," he said with a chuckle. "I mean, Ignitus. We met him before all the danger had really sunk in, and he was like us..." His words dripped with a false enthusiasm, only a slight hitch in his voice. "We didn't know what we were, but he was just like us, only bigger! And even though we loved Flash dearly for raising us even though we were apparently different, here was someone who could have been our actual dad!"

Dark Spyro's words briefly hit a higher pitch, but his tone quickly dropped as he shifted to a near whisper. "He said that we were special, and he was just full of praise and he knew about fire, which we had just found out about. I mean, it was almost too perfect! How could we not adore him? How could we not just want to make him happy? Even though he was so damn needy."

Dark Spyro then began to poorly imitate Ignitus's voice, a slight spasm going through his stomach. "Spyro, go to this incredibly dangerous place because my friend there, he's been tanked for long enough and I really do need him back." Dark Spyro smirked as Legend snarled. "But he was so proud of us whenever we'd do it. I mean, really, we'd probably have gladly slit our own throats."

"And Cynder... Man, Cynder," Dark Spyro continued, dodging a lunge. "Hormones through and through. I mean, what other reason could we have had for saving the monster—?"

 _"_ She was not a monster! _"_ Legend roared, muscles tightening as he got ready to pounce again.

"Ah, but we didn't know that at the time, did we? Anyway, that beast had been attacking Sparx, Ignitus, and us, and had imprisoned the Guardians—you know, Ignitus's friends. I mean, what else could possibly have possessed us to help her?"

Legend snarled and lunged. Dark Spyro's evasion allowed him to hide the tremor in his front leg.

"And once we had her back at the temple, mm, mmm, she was ours! I mean, come on, there she was surrounded by enemies, dragons who she had tortured and left to die." Dark Spyro dodged a claw strike and replied with one of his own, using his forelimb to hide the twitch on his face. "If she so much as raised a claw to us, that was it, she was dead, and she knew it—and most importantly, we knew it. We could have made her do anything. Hell, she was probably expecting it, especially after we found out that, guess what, _there are only two dragons in our generation_. I mean it was freaking genius of us, since we didn't take it immediately, she gave it willingly!"

Dark Spyro opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, it was snapped shut when a pillar of earth jolted from the ground and slammed him in the chin. Dark Spyro staggered back in a daze before he was sent tumbling back by a powerful blow to the chest. He was flung back towards the wall, slamming back first into it as he gasped for air. He didn't even get time to get back to his paws before another pillar shot forth from the wall, pushing him forward as the earth began to encase his body in the process.

Being brought to an abrupt stop, Dark came face to face with purple scales and a pair of glowing white eyes. Legend growled, his fangs bared and his claws digging into the ground.

"Don't you _eve_ _r_ talk about Cynder that way!" he said in an icy cold voice.

Dark Spyro looked on blankly before a grin began to crease his face. Glancing down, Dark began to chuckle before he looked back up at his counterpart.

"Finally starting to show something that resembles a genuine emotion?" Dark asked, a smug look on his face. "It's about time. No, you don't need to say anything. Your eyes say everything right now."

Legend blinked, staggering back as the glow of his eyes quickly subsided. Dark smirked, jerking his head as the pillar of earth shattered around him. Legend's eyes went wide. Dark Spyro made a quick motion of his paw and a shockwave shuddered through the ground, knocking Legend to the floor. Legend gasped as he quickly rolled to the side, barely missing having his chest gouged out. Dark scoffed, glaring as Legend got back to his paws.

"Don't tell me you forgot so soon? I _am_ you!" Dark said, hunkering down. "That means your powers are _my_ powers!"

Legend barely had time to duck as several sharp shards of ice were shot his way, and quickly rolled to the side to avoid a pillar of earth that shot up from the ground. Getting to his paws, Legend retaliated by sending several balls of fire Dark's way. Dark Spyro slammed his paws into the ground, bringing up a solid earth wall. Dust kicked up as flames collided with earth, forcing Dark to close his eyes. Opening them slightly, they soon went wide as he staggered back, barely avoiding a lightning bolt.

As Dark Spyro skidded to a stop, he was hit by a pillar of flames and Legend slammed into him with a comet dash. Dark growled as he tried to dig his claws into the ground, opening his maw as an icy cold mist escaped it. A cloud of mist surrounded them as he let loose a stream of ice shards, sending them both skidding to a stop at opposite ends of the room, glaring at each other.

"You said you love Cynder, yet how much do you really know about her?" Dark asked, digging his claws into the ground. "All you know about her is that she was kidnapped as an egg and turned into a monster! Whenever we hang out with her, all we do is sit next to her, maybe cuddle a little, _at most,_ despite having who knows how long anymore to get close to her!"

"You've never taken the time to find out her interests, what she's like when she's _not_ moping about her _dark and troubled past_ for who _knows_ how many times in a row!" Dark said, tendrils of flames starting to envelope him. "Nor have you let her do the same for you, _despite_ your feelings for her! _"_

Legend barely had time to dodge to the side to avoid a comet dash from Dark Spyro, but was quickly knocked to the ground as Dark swiped at his paws with his tail. Without missing a beat, Legend raised a pillar and flung himself into the air, Dark Spyro smashing through the pillar not a second later. As Legend hovered in the air, his dark counterpart looked up with a growl.

"She only said she loved us the first time because the world was crumbling around us. The damn apocalypse was at our doorstep!" Dark yelled, narrowing his eyes. "How do we know she didn't say that because she was _grateful_ to us for all we've done for her!? That she only continued to go along with it once the loops started up because she was confusing _gratefulness_ for love!?"

Legend's jaw hung open, his mouth moving but words refusing to come out. He looked down at his dark counterpart. Though it was hard to tell from the air, Legend could swear he could see tears forming in Dark Spyro's narrowed eyes.

"You've felt this way before, _damn it!_ Don't try to deny it!" Dark Spyro proclaimed, hunkering down. "You want to get close to her! You want to reassure yourself that what the two of you feel is truly love! Yet despite all this, you've never once acted on our feelings, our _desires_ to get close to her, you unfeeling, emotionless _bastard!_ "

Legend didn't even have time to react before Dark Spyro was upon him, darting into the air at super speeds and slamming into him, sending them both crashing into the ceiling. Legend gasped for air before Dark Spyro grabbed him by the tail, spinning around as he threw Legend at the ground. Once again, Legend gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him. He coughed, his eyes going wide. He was quick to roll out of the way as Dark Spyro landed where he'd been, creating a small crater from the impact.

Legend got to his paws, breathing heavily as Dark Spyro shot a sharp glare towards him and took a step forward, his dark aura flaring.

"Classic isn't here to help you this time, to put up some stupid claim so you can further delude yourself from the truth!" Dark Spyro said, seething with rage. "And even then, I doubt he would want to help you anymore if he knew the truth! The truth that, despite the fact that all he wants to do is help, his precious _brother_ only views him as an annoying counterpart that shouldn't exist!"

"Face it! No matter what _anyone_ does, you never let them get close to you! You may care for them, but you never let them get close to you in return, even if they all care about you deeply! You're nothing but an emotionless soldier afraid that you'll lose those you're close to, despite that being an impossibility in this endless retrogression of time!"

"But it makes sense that you don't actually trust Classic not to stab you in the back. Think about it, when has Classic ever done anything for us that wasn't for his own gain?" Dark Spyro taunted. "You knew it once. You didn't try to pretend, so why do you now? The brat will never know better!"

Legend's mind briefly flashed back to the moments after his fight with Classic, when he had been pretty much helpless on the floor of Cynder's house. He had doubted Classic's reasons then, but still... Legend took a calming breath and stood a bit straighter even as he continued to bleed from his wounds. "Because he gave me a second chance after I tried to kill him."

"Bah, he's just pretending!"

"Red," Legend stated in reply.

"And how do you know that the story's true, huh? Maybe Ember was making it up?"

Legend began to chuckle. "First, we've seen Ember try to lie. She's _cannot_ lie to save her life. Second, he stood up for me against his friends. Even if I wasn't supposed to hear them, Spy defended me. And even though I now hate skateboards with a passion, none of them laughed at me once. Spy gave me a second chance, so I'm going to return the favor!"

"We don't give second chances," Dark Spyro stated flatly.

Legend shook his head. As tempting as it may have been to bring up Cynder...

"Then maybe it's time I start," Legend said, stepping forward.

Dark paused, raising an eyebrow as Legend continued to take a few steps forward. As he got closer, Dark Spyro slowly began backing away. Legend looked behind him at the dream versions of Ignitus and Cynder. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he reopened them.

"You know, never in my life did I think I'd be thanking you," Legend said, looking back at Dark Spyro.

"O-oh? And why is that?" Dark asked, continuing to back up as he hunkered down.

Legend sighed, closing his eyes. "You made me realize how much of an idiot I've been." He reopened his eyes as he glanced back at dream-Ignitus and Cynder. "You know as well as I do that our baseline isn't exactly the most peaceful one. I don't know how it started up, but I guess I started distancing myself from others out of fear of the potential pain of losing them..."

"Yet, in a world where death is no longer permanent, where we can see and save those we care about from what happened the first time around, I realize how stupid it is to push others away out of fear of losing them," Legend said. "All it's done is caused me to hurt those who care about me, and those who I care for..."

Legend glanced at dream Cynder, a smile starting to appear on her face. In turn, a smile began to make its way onto Legend's face. "But that all stops now."

Dark Spyro scowled, letting out a low growl. "Idiot! Anyone can claim anything! Acting on it is another!" he spat, digging his claws into the ground. "How do you expect to do that when you've never been around others outside of the war!?"

Legend shook his head before he glanced at Dark with an indifferent expression. "I realize that it won't be easy. I've never really interacted with anyone outside of preparing for the war or fighting in it, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try."

Legend smirked, a renewed glint of confidence in his eyes. "And I know exactly where to start."

Dark Spyro snorted. "Good luck with that. How can you possibly do such a thing? You're too busy playing soldier." Dark Spyro began to growl. "You threw your emotions away as useless an eternity ago!"

"They might not be on hand," Legend retorted, "but they are never out of reach."

As Dark Spyro watched in utter disbelief, Legend took a steadying breath and pushed beyond a mental barrier that had quarantined his emotions. The tumult was worse than what he had expected, but Legend pushed onwards. He tethered himself to specific memories, including the skate park, the comic shop—really, that entire day—playing Dyson after their fight, and the playful back-and-forth poking and prodding between him with Classic's disdain for relationships and Classic with Legend's discomfort with the opposable digit. Legend used them as a guide rope to a specific feeling. Once there, he grasped hard and pulled it back outside of the boundary.

Coming back to himself, Legend felt that which was sometimes known as 'Philia' directed at one particular dragon. He noticed that Dark Spyro seemed almost frozen in place before he seemed to twitch and returned to life with a roar. Dark Spyro snarled, his body shaking violently. Legend could almost see smoke beginning to escape his dark counterpart's nostrils.

"I. will. _destroy._ you!" he ground out. _"_ When I'm done with you—!"

Whatever Dark Spyro would actually have threatened or promised was lost as wing beats filled the air.

"HA!" Classic laughed as he entered the room. "Your stupid barrier couldn't keep me out! And it looks like my bro here took you down without any of my help! Score's three to nil! Have you thought about giving up yet?"

Dark Spyro snorted mirthlessly. "Yes, you got through 'my' barrier. I suggest you leave, though. This is about to get rather personal." Dark Spyro smirked as a portal formed behind him. "I'd hate for you to be turned off by the skeletons your 'brother' has been keeping in his closet. Things he's never even told Cynder or Ignitus."

"Well, I think you're full of it!" Classic yelled back.

"Fine, fine," Dark Spyro said, jumping back into the portal. As he disappeared, his voice echoed in the chamber around Legend and Classic. "But ask yourself this... When, exactly, have I ever lied? See you soon."

Legend narrowed his eyes, his expression remaining unreadable as he looked at the portal ahead of him. Classic gave a smirk, already beginning to head towards the portal, but paused and looked back. He raised an eyebrow.

"You alright?"

"Uh, yeah," Legend said, shaking his head as he walked over to Classic. "Listen, Spy..."

Classic raised an eyebrow as Legend stopped next to him, placing a paw on his shoulder as he gave a soft smile.

"...I want to thank you for all you've done, and for continuing to help me despite everything that's going on," Legend said, closing his eyes. "Even after what happened when we first met, you were willing to forgive that and help me adjust to this new world, as well as help me begin to lighten up again. I'm not fully there yet, but..." Legend opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Even then, you're still willing to help me. Even with personal things like Dark Spyro."

Legend shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is...thank you, and I'm sorry if I haven't exactly been all that open about it."

Classic blinked, though he was quick to give a grin. "Hey, don't worry about it. I can understand if you aren't all that willing to talk about your problems. Just remember, I'm always willing to help, and even if I'm not with you in the current loop, you still have your friends from your own universe."

Legend gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah..." Legend closed his eyes, letting out a calming sigh. _'It's something I should have realized sooner...'_

Classic smirked before turning back to the portal. "Now then, I think it's time we show that dark freeloader that his joyride is up!"

Legend gave a nod, standing next to Classic. "Yeah. It's time to finish this once and for all."

He took a deep breath. Despite his newfound resolve, Dark Spyro's final words before he'd entered the current portal still haunted his mind. Legend shook his head, narrowing his eyes. No matter what things he had repressed long ago that Dark was about to throw at him, he knew that he needed to stay resilient. This had to be the final part of the nightmare, no matter what.

Steadying his nerves, he and Classic jumped through the portal.

* * *

Classic landed on the other side of the portal with a splash. Pulling himself up, Classic heard a wet _shlop_ as he came up out of the mud. As he tried to gather himself, the smell of burnt wood assailed his nostrils. Coughing in surprise, Classic looked around to find himself in an unfamiliar place...with no Legend in sight.

"What the heck..." he mumbled, truly taking in the location for the first time. His immediate surroundings were mud and burning trees, the plants hissing, creaking and groaning in protest against the flames that devoured them whole. The fire roared back at its defiant food, the barest hint of an accelerant—some kind of animal fat, possibly pig—on its breath. Unsure of where anyone or anything else was, Classic's eyes darted around for someplace that seemed safe. Eventually, he noticed what looked like a recession in the trees. Coming in to the clearing, he found himself at the base of a massive statue.

"Okay, I know this is a dream, not even my own dream at that, but still. I should have seen that from further away," he grumbled. Then, examining it more closely, he was struck by the level of detail in the brown rock. Actually, everything here was strangely detailed, to a degree that far and above exceeded the rest of the dream.

"This statue," a voice said softly behind him.

Classic whirled around to see Dark Spyro coming towards him, his gaze also on the statue. "I know it well. It's actual home is in the center of the Temple where I was trained by my masters. Magic or technology would lower it when the room was to be used and raised it again after the instruction was done."

Classic didn't turn his back to the black dragon, unwilling to be struck from behind. As he watched Dark Spyro ramble, he noticed that he seemed to be fidgeting, one of his back legs twitching in place.

"For the longest time, I wondered who it was. So, one loop, I asked."

Dark Spyro licked his lips as he continued. "Malefor. The statue is of Malefor as a young adult!" Dark Spyro barked out a laugh. "I mean how messed up is that? In the most sacred place to dragonkind that I know of, we have a giant statue of the guy who basically said 'screw you all, I'm going to blow up the planet.' I mean, it's so many kinds of messed up! But the dude was a genius, I have to admit that. Whether he discovered them for the first time or just rediscovered them, by the time he was a young adult, Malefor was using elements that his masters had never seen before! He was in a freaking league of his own! ...Maybe the statue was there to remind dragons of how far we could fall."

"You know, I've heard a lot about how similar we, Malefor and I, were at a young age. From what I heard, he was helpful, clever, powerful... We've been alike to the point that we've been accused of being the same..."

The black-scaled dragon trailed off for a bit before speaking again. "I'm sure you've noticed how strange this place is? It's not a dream...not really. It's a memory. The only things different are the statue and you."

"Why are you explaining this to me?" Classic asked guardedly.

"Ah..." Dark Spyro began before trailing off and shaking his head, a forced grin on his face. "I don't... You wouldn't accept the answer... Not from me," he said with an almost apologetic smile. "But I have some things to do, now. And...well, I can't have you get in the way, but I suppose you deserve to know, so you can watch."

As he spoke, tendrils of shadow erupted around Classic, hog-tying and muzzling him in an instant. "You are powerful, but here...without my consent, you won't escape."

Now a prison of stone in the shape of an egg encased Classic, though it did not inhibit his senses or impair his breathing. One of the eggs at the statue's base vanished and Dark Spyro rolled Classic into the now empty position.

"Just like old times, eh?" he asked. After a moment, he lay down. "I wasn't expecting an answer, anyway."

"Spy? Spy!" A familiar voice carried through the still burning swamp. Legend flew in to a small fanfare of crashing trees behind him. Taking in the view he was greeted with, Legend dropped to the ground and growled out, "Where is he?"

"Safe," Dark Spyro snarled in return, jumping from the base of the statue to the ground. "More than we can say about Mom, Dad, Sparx...anybody who lives here, really."

And then, almost in a terrible concert, Classic began to hear screams beneath the roar of the flames.

"You aren't lifting a talon to save them, not that you ever did."

"This is just a dream, when I wake they will be safe, but Classic is in here with me and I need to keep him safe from _you_ ," Legend spat.

Dark Spyro bared his fangs. "Don't _act_ like you think this just a dream!" he shouted."You remember this day just as well as I, you damn _statue!_ This is _NOT_ a dream, this is our memory! Just because the alcoholic was willing to pretend this didn't exist does _NOT_ discredit it's validity!"

"Then no matter what I do, I cannot save them. A new loop is not truly the same as traveling to the past," Legend said sadly, his eyes fixed on his enemy.

Dark Spyro lunged in fury. "There's no fucking way you can be me! How could anyone who called themselves family be as cold-hearted as you?! Our home is burning, our friends and family roasted by the flames, and what do you do? Nothing!"

"They wouldn't have wanted revenge!" Legend shouted back, fending off another attack.

"You think I don't know that?! You think I'd dishonor them in that way? Yes, I wanted vengeance! Yes, I wanted to rip those fuckers limb from limb and murder each and every single one of them for daring to step into our home!"Dark Spyro shouted before he took a pause as he began to breath heavy.

" _But_ , I still would have kept my head clear, because it's not what they would have wanted." Dark Spyro panted. "You know what I wanted more than anything else, though? I wanted to _grieve_!"

He lunged at Legend. "I wanted to bawl my eyes out, and have someone tell me that it would get better, even if it was a lie!"

For a moment Dark Spyro stopped to catch his breath before putting real venom into his words. "But you...you stone-hearted facsimile of a dragon, you couldn't even shed a single tear! They did everything for us and you don't even have the decency to feel anything when they were slaughtered before our eyes! All because you're trying to be a perfect little soldier-boy! March to the beat, left, right, left, right! Straight over the cliff if that's what you're ordered to do! You have no imagination, no feeling, _nothing_!"

"I stayed back on Ignitus because I agreed that it was not the time and the only ones we'd end up hurting were ourselves and Cynder! Heck, I even let you have your way during the loops because I wanted to first figure out what the hell was going on. But you kept putting me off, discarding me, pretending that I didn't matter, that I didn't exist! I'm sick of it! Now you can be the one that gets ignored! This is my show now! You can stay back here and contemplate our navel for all of eternity!"

Legend barely had time to dodge a beam of convexity as he rolled to the side. Getting back to his paws, he was quick to take to the air. Dark Spyro roared, darting up into the sky after him. Legend turned to see Dark on his tail, a purple mist escaping his mouth as a faint purple glow began to shine at the back of his throat. Legend dropped down, avoiding another convexity beam as he shot a ball of fire in retaliation. Dark Spyro scowled, quickly rolling to the side to avoid it.

Legend scowled as he saw Dark Spyro readjusting his course to once again come flying at him. He quickly darted down towards the ground, dodging left and right as purple beams of energy missed him by inches. Legend groaned as a convexity beam nearly grazed his wing. Narrowing his eyes, he darted below the tree line, zigzagging in and out between the trees, flying as fast as his wings would carry him.

"You can't escape! No matter where you go, it's only a matter of time!"

Legend growled at Dark Spyro's words, quickly ducking behind one of the few trees that wasn't burning. Steadying his nerves, he began scanning the environment. He heard a rustling sound and immediately his muscles tensed up. Baring his fangs, he saw Dark Spyro land with a scowl, scanning the area as he narrowed his soulless white eyes. Legend took a deep breath, a low crackling sound echoing from his throat.

Dark Spyro let out a howl as a bolt of lightning struck him, his muscles locking up as electricity arced over his body. Not a second later, Dark was slammed in the side as Legend rammed into him horns first before quickly spinning around and smacking him with his earth-encased tail. Dark tumbled forward, but was quick to get to his paws as he saw Legend charge at him. Legend attempted to slash with his claws, but Dark ducked and retaliated with a head-butt to the jaw. As Legend stumbled back, he was tackled to the ground.

Dark raised his claws as he pinned Legend to the ground, but was forced to cover his face when a stream of fire shot forth. In this second of opportunity, Legend pushed forward and tackled Dark into a tree. In response, Dark head-butted Legend again square on the forehead, the temporary daze it caused allowing Dark to return the favor by slamming Legend into another tree.

Legend growled, summoning his earth element to put a pillar between himself and his dark counterpart. Dark Spyro staggered back as he attempted to regain balance, and Legend smashed through his pillar, managing to land a claw slash directly across Dark Spyro's chest. The deep red gash began to ooze blood. Dark Spyro roared before charging forward and retaliating with a claw slash to Legend's face, the attack landing a direct blow on his left check.

The dragons traded blows, neither side giving way as more and more cuts and gashes opened on their bodies. Legend grunted at each successful blow that was landed on him, the stinging sensation left in their wake causing him to scowl. Finally, they broke the stalemate as they jumped backwards, bodies bloodied and bruised as they panted heavily. Mirroring each others motions, both dragons hunkered down, scowling as they let out low growls. Dark Spyro smirked.

"What the matter? Pain feeling a little _too_ real?" Dark Spyro taunted, a sadistic grin on his face. "Well then, I think you may have already figured this out...but this ain't just a dream."

Legend narrowed his eyes. Baring his fangs, he brought up a pillar of earth just below Dark. Dark rolled to the side at the last second, the pillar catching his side and leaving a cut across his torso. With a growl, Dark retaliated by launching a beam of convexity at Legend, who quickly ducked as he charged forward. Legend tackled Dark to the ground, the two dragons rolling across it as they struggled to get the upper hand. Finally, Dark kicked Legend off him before quickly getting to his paws and launching a bolt of electricity.

Legend let out a loud grunt as the beam hit him, and Dark Spyro charged forth with claws bared. As he struggled to shake off the paralyzation, the air around Legend became icy cold and he sent a stream of ice shards towards Dark. The dark dragon ducked, but was unable to avoid several shards cutting his hide. Dark staggered back, body twitching as blood began to bleed from the gashes the shards had left.

Finally shaking off the paralyzation, Legend once again charged forward, flames starting to surround him as he comet-dashed at his counterpart, hitting him head-on. Dark tumbled backwards and slammed into a tree. Picking himself up with a growl, he dove into the ground with his earth element. Before Legend knew what had hit him, Dark shot up from the ground with a head-butt to Legend's jaw.

Once again, the two dragons were locked in a duel as they traded blows back and forth, the flaming background of the swamp beginning to melt around them as it slowly gave way to a black void. Neither side gave way or bothered to acknowledge their collapsing surroundings. Finally, Legend managed to land a savage blow with an earth-encased paw, sending Dark tumbling back. Legend began to breathe heavily as he watched Dark struggling to get to his paws, his own legs shaking heavily as blood dripped down his scales.

Suddenly, Legend gasped and his breathing started to become erratic. Finally, he let out a cough, blood spitting from his mouth as he struggled to even keep his head straight. He managed to glance up, looking to the side as a small vision began to shimmer forth from the melting surroundings. In it, Legend saw himself in his bed, blood dripping from his mouth as he was having a hard time breathing. Legend's eyes went wide before he quickly shook his head and looked at his counterpart.

"We have to...stop this..." Legend forced out, taking deep breaths as he struggled to stand. "All this fighting is taking its toll on my body in the real world... If we don't stop now, _neither_ of us will have a body anymore!"

"I don't care..." Dark Spyro said coldly, getting back on all fours as he glared at his counterpart. "With how I'm always being repressed, with how you refuse to acknowledge my existence...I might as well be dead already!"

Dark Spyro attempted to charge forward claws first, but he barely made it an inch before he fell over himself. Legend shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Both of us can barely stand now as it is," Legend said, having to sit down as his legs began to shake violently. "Like it or not...for now, it's over."

"This is not _over_!"

Legend watched as Dark Spyro struggled to get to his paws, stumbling and fumbling over himself every time he managed to pick himself up. Finally, whatever steam Dark had left gave out as he fell to the ground one last time, his body refusing to move any longer. Legend watched on with an indifferent expression as Dark finally closed his eyes.

"It's not fair..."

Legend blinked, watching as Dark put his paws over his face.

"It's not fair... This is my body..." Dark muttered, his voice beginning to tremble. "You don't care... You don't feel... You're nothing but an emotionless statue... Why is it that you get this body, when I was here first...?"

Legend said nothing as he watched Dark lay motionless in place, his soft breathing the only other sound in the void.

"Cynder... You barely show her you care. And you've more or less forgotten about Sparx, _my brother_... And Ignitus..." Dark Spyro choked out. Legend swore he heard him sob. "Even if the loops let us see him again... We still can't save him from what happens and never once did you mourn him, even when everything was all said and done... Even our _own parents..._ "

Legend could only look on blankly at his dark side laying helplessly on the ground, silently sobbing to himself as he could barely move. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but words refused to come forth. Never once had he thought he'd _ever_ see his dark side, the one that had turned Gaul into shattered stone and turned a peaceful park into a volcanic arena, laying pathetically on the ground in front of him as he sobbed to himself over how powerless he was.

Finally, Legend took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "...Why do you care?"

There was a silence. Dark Spyro was motionless. Finally, he removed his paws from over his face, his once glowing eyes starting to become dull.

"...You heard me," Legend said, looking down at him. "Why do you care? You're supposed to be an evil spirit that was forced onto me from the Night of Eternal Darkness."

A brief pause ensued as Dark looked up with narrowed eyes. Finally, he closed them as he took a deep breath.

"...I care, because you refuse to," Dark said, laying his head on its side as he looked away. "How many times do I have to tell you? I _am_ you. There was no spirit that entered our body that night. That was _all us_. So why do I care? For the same reasons you do... Yet, you refuse to express _any_ emotion towards those that, deep down, you _know_ you care about, and you call me a monster..."

Legend's eyes went wide as Dark Spyro turned back to him, looking him straight in the eyes. "Tell me... How is it that I'm a monster for expressing something resembling emotion...?"

Legend's jaw dropped as he looked down at his dark form, pausing for a few seconds, unable to speak. Finally, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he sat in silence.

"I think I'm beginning to understand now," Legend said, reopening his eyes. "It's been so long now that I can barely remember, but...all those years ago, I chose to lock my emotions away. Whether it was because I found them unimportant and getting in the way of keeping those around me safe, or because I was afraid of getting hurt by losing those near to me...I don't fully remember."

Legend shook his head, closing his eyes as he looked down. "Regardless, the people of my world needed a perfect hero; someone to look up to when the world was crumbling around them. Being the only one who had the power to stand up to Malefor, I knew it had to be me. In that time, when I tried to undo everything caused by a war I was born into from the start, I became more and more stoic, pushing how I really felt deeper down and down into the pit of my heart, until I fully deluded myself into believing this was who I really was...but now I'm beginning to see that wasn't the best of ideas."

He opened his eyes, looking at his counterpart on the ground. "It would seem my emotions didn't take kindly to being repressed, and chose to rebel after being pushed down for far too long..."

Dark Spyro looked up at his counterpart, his glowing eyes giving way to the purple irises that had been clouded behind the soulless glow for so long.

"They chose to take a form in which they could fully be known, being able to force its way through in extreme fits of rage and grief," Legend finished, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "In essence, you _are_ me...the emotions I chose to repress so many years ago."

Dark Spyro looked up with a blank stare as he saw Legend look down with a slight smile. Dark closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I used to think of you as a mask, but to realize that without being forced to..."

Legend shook his head. "I think it's more so we're two sides of the same coin. You are my emotional side, and I am your logical side."

There was a silence as the two dragons looked at each other. Finally, Legend sighed, glancing downward.

"We can't fully exist without one another. Emotion without logic will lead to one being blinded by it, ending with one flying off the handle and hurting those they love," he said, shaking his head. "...Yet, at the same time, logic without emotions will lead to one forgetting those they truly care about, unknowingly hurting them in the process."

Dark looked down, his eyes drooping. "So...what are we supposed to do?"

Legend paused, closing his eyes as he sat in silence. Finally, he reopened his eyes, looking down with stern glare. "Do you promise not to seriously hurt those close to us or anyone who mildly annoys us?"

Dark paused, looking up at his counterpart with wide eyes. "Do you promise to finally get closer to those who care about you...and to finally mourn all those we lost?"

Legend took a deep breath as he paused. Several seconds passed before a small smile appeared on his face. "...I promise."

Dark smiled, the dark ethereal smoke around him beginning to dissipate. "Then I promise too."

Legend gave a smile before he slowly began to hobble his way over to his counterpart. Stopping inches before him, he slowly held out his paw. His counterpart looked at it with wide eyes, dark scales slowly giving way to purple. With a smile, he grabbed onto it as a purple glow began illuminating from their paws not a second later. Then, in a bright amethyst flash, the void began to give way.

When everything died down, only one Spyro was left. He sat in a lush green field, blue sky stretching for miles as a soft breeze carried on the air. Legend looked around at it, his wounds now gone. His eyes were wide as his mouth hung open slightly before it quickly gave way to a wide smile. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he heard the birds chirping slightly.

He paused, however, when he heard a faint muffled sound nearby. Legend glanced over to see a stone egg not far off. His mouth dropped as his eyes went wide, and he quickly rushed over to the stone egg replica as fast as his paws would carry him. With a quick open-pawed smack, the stone casing crumbled and Classic tumbled out, the dark ethereal bindings dissipating not a second later.

Classic picked himself up, stretching as he took a deep breath. Glancing over to Legend, he shook his head. "Just for the record, I'd like to let it be known that I am _not_ into that."

Legend let out a hearty chuckle before he took a deep breath. Classic groaned, though he quickly shook his head as he began glancing around with wide eyes. "What about Dark? Is he still around?"

Legend shook his head, giving a soft smile. "We won't have to worry about him anymore. You can say we came to an understanding."

A silence soon followed and only the sounds of the soft breeze and birds chirping was heard. Finally, Classic looked at Legend with drooping eyes. "Um...back at the burning swamp... Was all that stuff that Dark said...?"

Legend sighed, closing his eyes. "I was being an idiot back then." He shook his head. "I thought that if I just pretended it didn't bug me, that if I held everything deep down, it would just all stop... That if I didn't acknowledge what happened, it would all go away. Though, now I realize how foolhardy that was."

Legend frowned, slight tears beginning to form in his eyes. Quickly brushing them away, he reopened his eyes to see Classic looking at him with wide eyes, occasionally blinking as he said nothing. Legend chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hey. I want to thank you for all you've done," Legend said, giving a slight a smile. "Not only did you help me try to fit into this world after what... _happened,_ but you also helped me now in this dream, which in turn made me realize something I should have a long time ago..."

Classic's eyes shot wide and he quickly glanced to the side. Legend stepped forward and wrapping his forelegs around him in a hug.

"What I'm trying to say is...thank you. Thank you for everything."

"Um, o-okay then..." Classic said, giving Legend a few quick pats on the back. "You're welcome. Now... uh..." Classic muttered, glancing upwards. "...I don't suppose you could let go now, huh?"

Legend chuckled, breaking the hug as he took a few steps back. Classic cleared his throat before he shook his head. He looked at Legend, raising an eyebrow. "So...now what?"

Legend sighed, closing his eyes. "It's time I do something I should have done a long, long time ago..."

* * *

The air was unpleasantly thick as Classic looked around awkwardly. In his many adventures, he never come across a graveyard before. Fidgeting in place, he looked over to Legend, the dragon in question standing in front of a grave with a bouquet of flowers in his mouth. Gently setting them down, he closed his eyes as he sighed, tears beginning to form.

"Ignitus... I'm sorry it took me so long to do this," he murmured, a frown on his face. "Even if this is only a dream, and even if the loops allow me to see you again, please let me say this... I'm sorry I didn't honor your memory sooner. I was far too weak in baseline, and for it...you paid the ultimate price to try to protect me, to make sure the world had a fighting chance."

Legend's voice began to tremble as a small stream of tears began to run down his face. "You've been like a second father to me since you first found me, and I can't tell you how much I wish that things could have been different. Even in the loops, I'm still struggling to find a way to keep you from sacrificing yourself. Please, if your spirit still belongs to the ancestors even in the loops... I want you to know that...that..."

Legend hunkered down, body trembling as he took a deep breath. "...I love you. You'll always be like family to me and I'll look up to you, even when you're gone..."

Classic blinked as he watched Legend begin to silently sob to himself. He glanced around awkwardly, clearing his throat as he fidgeted in place. Finally he took a deep breath, heading over to Legend and placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Uh... I'm sure that he'll always be looking after you," Classic said, "and I'm sure there's _some_ way to save him in the loops."

Legend paused, wiping his tears away as he glanced over to Classic. "Yeah... Even still, this was far too long overdue."

A silence soon followed as Legend picked himself up, taking a deep breath. Classic cleared his throat.

"Uh, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but maybe we should change the subject of the dream now..." Classic said before quickly leaning over to Legend and whispering, "Ya know, just in case _you know who_ might be watching..."

Legend nodded, breathing a sigh. Turning to Classic, he blinked. "Any ideas? I'm not really sure what else to think of..."

Classic paused, placing a claw to his chin. With a wide grin, he snapped his claws. "I have an idea!"

* * *

Legend raised his forelegs, unable to keep them grounded due to the acceleration he was enduring. His brother had told him of a place called 'Dragon Shores', and described to him in detail its attractions so the two could enjoy a happy dream. Unfortunately for Legend, this 'roller coaster' was not as enjoyable as the other rides.

Struggling to converse with his brother due to the rushing wind, Legend exclaimed in thrilling terror, "Spy! I really hate you sometimes, you know that?!"

Classic kept his arms raised and basked in the strong gust that bombarded them. "Aw, shut up and enjoy the ride, will ya?!"

* * *

It was cold. It was always cold in this dank abandoned apartment, but tonight especially so. A hooded figure sneered, forcing open the door to his room, which mostly consisted of a bed and a table with a worn chair. He slammed the door shut before going over to the table and placing a scroll on it.

Far too long had he been forced to live this horrid existence because of those stupid dragons.

 _'Soon,'_ he thought, opening the scroll. _'Soon ultimate power will be mine and all those stupid dragons will bow before me!'_

Pulling his hood back, a sadistic grin appeared on Ripto's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: ... And, after some time of filler updates, we're back to the current arc! Long chapter is long, but overall I think it's my favorite so far.
> 
> AbZ wanted me to make note of Dark Spyro's rather odd behavior this chapter in regards towards Cynder and Ignitus. Personally, I don't feel it's too hard to figure out why he said what he said in the context of the story itself, but I suppose if enough people are confused by it, I can update this chapter with an explanation about it, though I personally don't like to do such things because I feel it's bad if you have to explain things to the audience outside of the context of the story itself.
> 
> Anyways, yeah. This is one of the chapters we had to rewrite because the original was kind of short, but in the end I'm glad we did. This easily ended up becoming my favorite chapter of the Infinite Loops so far. Lot's of character development for Legend Spyro in this chapter, which surprisingly I don't see many other fics do. A lot of them tend to focus on Cynder because of her past... but honestly, as this chapter shows, Legend didn't exactly end the war with a squeaky clean slate either. I've always seen Legend as a bit of a 'shell shocked veteran', someone who chose to repressed their emotions because of the war. It's an angle I haven't seen in any story set in the Legend verse, so I'm glad the loops got to use this first.
> 
> Anyways, that's all for now. Might have to go back to some fillers after this because we're still rewriting chapters, but hopefully it won't take as long as this one here did.
> 
> Anyways, remember to leave a review because it helps us improve, and also remember to check out the Spyro loops Forum because I'd love to get to talk to some of the readers of our story.)


	17. What about this G'Nasty G'norc character?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Chapter beta-read by Riverstyxx. Further comments at the end of the chapter.)

**Classic 17.1**

Spyro awoke like he always did, herding sheep to dull the boredom of his pre-awake life while some dragons began interviewing the Artisans. Spyro stopped chasing the sheep and paused, looking at the interview going on with a raised eyebrow. He placed a claw to his chin.

"You know," Spyro began, turning to Sparx. "Gnasty turns the dragons to stone because they make fun of him during the interview..."

"Yeah? And what else is new?" Sparx asked, glancing down with an amused expression.

"What I mean is, what would happen if nothing bad was said about him during the interview?" Spyro asked, tilting his head. "Then he'd have no quote unquote 'reason' to turn the dragons to stone."

"I guess so. How are you supposed to stop them from doing that, though?" Sparx asked, raising an eyebrow.

Spyro paused before turning to the ongoing interview. He narrowed his eyes. It was time for a hostile show takeover. As Spyro rushed over to the scene, he could already hear it in progress.

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc character?"

Spyro shook his head. Why this dragon felt the need to pronounce the silent G's, he would never know.

"Now, I understand that he's found a magic spell to turn gems into warriors for his cause..."

Spyro picked up the pace. This was usually when that blue dragon came in and began to insult Gnasty. He could already see that dragon stepping up to the microphone. Spyro smirked. Time for an unscheduled cameo.

"I—"

"I'll tell you about Gnasty!" Spyro said, quickly jumping into the camera view and causing the blue dragon to stumble back in surprise.

"Spyro? Aren't you suppose to be herding sheep?" the blue dragon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Spyro shook his head, brushing off the elder dragon's question as he looked at the camera.

"Gnasty Gnorc—G's in his name are silent, by the way," Spyro began, looking up at the interviewer before he turned back to the camera, "—was a gnorc that was banished to the Dragon Junkyard because of how jealous he was of our gems." He crossed his forelegs. "He's a bit short-tempered, but other than that he usually doesn't bother us too much."

The group of dragons looked down at Spyro with wide eyes. The blue dragon cleared his throat before crossing his arms with a slight smirk. "Well, well, Spyro. I didn't think you actually paid attention to us."

Spyro grinned. Resisting the urge to point out it was more so the result of a time loop than anything else, he glanced up. ' _Looks like the dragons won't have to worry about—'_

**_CLASH!_ **

Spyro jumped, looking around at the dragon statues with wide eyes. He frowned, turning to Sparx.

"What the heck? What did I do wrong?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "That's what really happened! And no one called him ugly this time!"

"Eh, your guess is as good as mine," Sparx said, giving a shrug.

Spyro's expression went flat. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head.

 _'I'm not going to give up on this,'_ he thought, heading towards the first dragon he usually saved. _'Gnasty may be short-tempered, but there must be some way to get through the interview without setting him off... Right?'_

* * *

**Legend 17.2 (Arms and Armor pt.3) (Feat: AbZHz101)**

Spyro, Sparx, and Ignitus came to the cave where the Ice King resided and Volteer was usually held. Spyro was worried because he had not seen Cynder flying away earlier, and didn't want to think about what that could mean. Though, thankfully, as they entered, Spyro saw Volteer's labored breathing. As long as they got him out of there soon, he'd be fine.

Then, as the Ice King began to move, Spyro realized that they had a problem, namely that they were in a cave with a low ceiling and the weapons that they had between them were cavalry lances. Thankfully, though, he had been noted as having his breath weapons, and he might even be able to use his Comet Dash a bit more traditionally, saying it was a desperate idea.

* * *

As the Ice King fell, Ignitus turned to Spyro. "Look around here and see if you can't find what they did to his weapons and armor. I'll get him out of here."

At Spyro's nod, Ignitus began trying to revive the fallen guardian. Spyro's hopes were minimal, seeing as there hadn't been a sack with the word "ARMOR" stitched across the front, but they became even more dismal when he noticed a particular rune on the armor of the Ice King, one that had been in the Dragon Temple and symbolized electricity.

"Ignitus," Spyro called out to the Fire Guardian. Ignitus turned to his pupil just as Volteer began to stir. "I think I found them..." he said, pointing to the evidence he'd found.

Ignitus snarled and the ambient temperature seemed to rise.

"Those..." Ignitus couldn't seem to find words that would adequately describe how horrible their foes were. "There is something sacred to us about our personal armors. To see them desecrated..." He bit back some of his distaste if only that Spyro not learn some of dragonkind's more creative curses. Ignitus forced himself to business. "Spyro, normally I would not ask it, but would you be willing to allow Volteer one of your sets? I was not able to find any armor in the temple, and our resources are dangerously thin as is."

Spyro hesitated. He understood why Ignitus was asking, but he needed his fury armor. If he didn't have it when he saw Cynder... Then he paused and dissected that particular line of thought. Yes, Convexity seemed to be the key to freeing Cynder, but did that necessitate his fury armor? The first time he had ever used Convexity had been in the realm of Convexity itself, three years before he had found the first piece of the fury armor. And while it did make manipulating Convexity easier, hadn't he been training to do that anyway? Convexity would still be his to wield, and there might be times when he did not have the benefit of his armor's boost. Best to learn his limits first, then.

Spyro nodded to Ignitus as he approached the still waking guardian. As Spyro looked at Volteer closely for the first time in the Loop, he noticed just how much bigger his wings and other upper back muscles seemed to be.

"Ignitus?" Volteer asked, his eyes still unfocused. "I feel as if I was just bludgeoned repeatedly with a twenty-foot-long pole, with twenty-five pounds of steel glued to the end by pressure, and then used as an organic power source for a most peculiar crystal."

"Say what?" Sparx asked.

"He got beaten up and then used as a battery," Spyro replied.

"Quite," Volteer continued, not exactly recognizing that there was anyone else there. "Though, those injuries do not sting with the same wrath as being forced to observe as my bow, quiver and armor were beaten around the form of my captor."

"Did you get that one?" Spyro asked Sparx.

"Eh, I just figure I'll tune him out," Sparx replied while stretching.

Spyro rolled his eyes in response. It was then that Volteer truly seemed to become aware of the other three presences nearby. His eyes shot open. "Ignitus! Incredible, unbelievable, I had understood my previous ocular stimuli to be caused by a very potent delusion powered by my own deep desires! And yet here you stand before me, if not as hale and hearty as when I last saw you!"

Ignitus smiled at Volteer's ramblings. "Volteer, it's good to see you." He then nodded to Spyro. "This is Spyro, and he is the one you should be thanking for your rescue."

"But, Ignitus," Spyro protested, "we fought off all of the apes together!"

"Perhaps, young dragon, but if it hadn't been for you, I would still be moping in the swamp, slowly allowing my grief to do Cynder's work for her." Ignitus turned to Volteer. "My friend, we went to the Temple and found it ransacked. I do not think we have a home there any longer."

The three dragons all held a moment of silence for their lost residence. In many ways it had been a family member.

"Thankfully, I found a bow and full quiver your size that was salvageable," Ignitus said, handing the larger bow and quiver over. "And young Spyro happened to find some older sets of dragon armor, though from where I have no idea. They aren't the same, but I hope they can do for now."

Spyro stepped forward, showing the two other armors to Volteer. "I can also use a different one if this type would suit you best," he offered.

Volteer smiled as he shook his head. "No, as an archer, for such protections to be necessary often means that something has gone drastically wrong. Though I suppose that, in these times, one misstep will spell the end of all of us." He frowned, looking at the two remaining armors. "It would make sense that if my own armor has been compromised so that I cannot wear it, such would also be the case for Terrador and Cyril. Both can use the silver armor with much greater skill than I."

With that, Volteer picked up Spyro's fury armor and waited for the magic to adjust for his size before carefully placing it on. "I also assume you would like me to teach young Spyro here my talents, Ignitus?"

Ignitus nodded and also gave Spyro a bow that was sized for him. Volteer noticed that there was an ape about five thousand yards off that had somehow managed to evade Spyro and Ignitus's earlier two-dragon assault. Without taking his eyes off the target, Volteer knocked the bow in about a quarter of a second, and pulled it back to full draw. As he did, electricity sparked out of his left claw up and down the bow, racing for the string. The sparks traveled to his right and then covered the entire arrow. Volteer released and a lightning bolt streaked out, slamming home into the heart.

Spyro and Sparx gasped as Volteer grimaced. "Missed," he said clicking his tongue. "I was aiming for the left eye."

Ignitus chuckled good-naturedly.

"There is an old joke," he mentioned, "that the only reason why electric dragons don't fire past the horizon is because the earth keeps getting in the way of their shots."

* * *

**Classic 17.3:**

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc character?"

This time, before anyone could speak up, Spyro darted in front of the camera and microphone.

"Hey, Gnasty isn't that important! Really, you should hear about the time Nestor tried to use Argus' chisel to touch up a pillar in one of the temples! To this day, we still don't trust—"

**_CLASH!_ **

Spyro frowned as the dragons around him turned to stone. Sparx placed a hand to his chin, floating next to Spyro with an amused expression.

"Really, you should have expected this when you said Gnasty wasn't important," Sparx said, resting on Spyro's head. "Gnasty may be short-tempered, but he also has an ego the size of the entire Dragon Realms."

Spyro let out an annoyed sigh. "Still not giving up on this."

* * *

**Legend 17.4: (Feat: Masterweaver)**

"Spyro?"

"Yes, Cynder?"

"Do you have any idea why we're octopi?"

"I talked to a couple of visiting loopers. Apparently this just happens."

* * *

**Classic 17.5:**

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc cha—"

The interviewer barely got through his sentence before it sounded like a marching band was beginning to play. The dragons turned back, their eyes going wide at the sight. Spyro was covered in instruments from head to toe, from wind instruments like trumpets, to harmonicas that were being held up to his mouth by a brace on his neck, to drums that were set up to go off automatically as he walked.

Sparx looked on at Spyro's display with an amused grin, while the elder dragons moved their mouths in vain, unable to form anything that sounded like coherent speech.

**_CLASH!_ **

Spyro tumbled over himself and the instruments rang out in a loud crash. Pulling himself out of the contraption, he scowled.

"What the heck!? No one insulted him this time, unintentionally or otherwise!" Spyro said, resting his head on his paws as he looked upwards with annoyance.

Sparx flew over to him, scratching his head. "...Maybe he's not a music fan?" he suggested with shrug.

Spyro's expression flattened as he let out an annoyed sigh. " _Still_ not giving up on this."

* * *

**Legend 17.6:**

Spyro glanced around with wide eyes as he walked along the streets. The ponies gave odd glances at the dragon in their midst. Never once did he think such a bright and colorful world could exist. He closed his eyes, taking a pause in the middle of the road.

"What's wrong?"

Spyro looked towards his left with his eyes barely opened at the lavender unicorn that was shooting him a concerned look.

"N-nothing. I guess I'm just not used to such peaceful worlds," Spyro said, taking a deep breath. "My world is usually stuck in the middle of a war and so far a good portion of the variants I find myself in usually end up being rather..." Spyro bit his lower lip "... _unpleasant,_ to say the least."

"I still find it hard to believe there are _two_ looping Spyros, especially considering your worlds sound like complete opposites..." Twilight said, looking at Spyro with a raised eyebrow. "Are you _sure_ you're not playing a prank on me, Spyro?"

Spyro sighed. "For the twentieth time, _no_. I am _not_ playing a prank."

Twilight stood for a few seconds in front of Spyro with narrowed eyes. Though she held the unbelieving expression, she slowly backed away.

"Alright... I still don't fully believe it, though," Twilight said, continuing to walk down the street. "I think it won't be until I see you both in a loop that I'll be willing to believe it."

"Fair enough," Spyro said, walking alongside Twilight. "Most people don't believe us until we're both in the same loop with them, anyway."

Twilight glanced over with an indifferent expression. "So, what are we suppose to call you if there's two of you? I mean, calling you both Spyro would likely get confusing rather quickly."

"You can either call me Legend or Ro when we're in the same loop. The other Spyro also likes to go by either Classic or Spy," Legend explained, glancing over to Twilight. "The classic and legend thing is based off the nicknames the Admins gave our two universes, and the Spy and Ro thing is based off nicknames my brother Sparx gave us."

"Okay..." Twilight muttered, raising an eyebrow. Ro had explained to her about how he was adopted by dragonflies, but that still didn't make the idea of Sparx actually being his brother any easier to process. "Well, in any case, Ro... Welcome to Equestria. We're a sanctuary loop, so feel free to unwind and relax. Considering what you've told us about your baseline, it sounds like you _really_ need it."

"Yeah..." Spyro said, before he glanced downward. "Kind of wish Cynder was here, though. If anything, she needs a break more than I do."

"Cynder? Who's Cynder?" Twilight asked, pausing as she glanced towards Spyro.

"She's my mate. We've been together since baseline..." Spyro said before he took a deep breath. "I won't go into what her baseline is like since she doesn't like telling outside loopers about it, but to say it wasn't pleasant would be understating it. Even after she figured out a way to avoid most...of..."

Spyro paused, noting that Twilight was looking at him with wide eyes and a blank expression. "...What?"

Twilight shook her head before putting on an amused grin. "Okay, yeah. You're _definitely_ not the Spyro I'm familiar with," she said with a slight chuckle. "The Spyro I know wouldn't even _imply_ he's with someone, even if it's for a one-off joke."

Spyro gave a chuckle. "Yeah, that sounds like Spy, alright."

Twilight shook her head, a kind smile on her face. "In any case, I'll make sure to note that. Besides being a sanctuary loop, we also tend to help a lot of outside loopers with their problems, so if she ends up here, we'll do all we can to help."

"Thanks," Spyro said, giving a warm smile. "Just...please don't pressure her about it. She probably won't like it if she heard we had this conversation, even though I didn't go into any details. Cynder kind of prefers keeping her problems to herself..." Spyro said, closing his eyes as he let out a sigh. "She'll open up about them a bit more the closer she gets to someone, but to those she just met..."

"Don't worry. I think I know the type," Twilight said, raising and shaking a hoof in front of her. "I'll make sure to make a note of that. I promise we won't force her to explain anything she's uncomfortable with."

A big smile appeared on Spyro's face as he gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

"No problem. We are a place where outside loopers can relax, after all," Twilight said. "Now then, speaking of which, any ideas what you want to do to unwind?"

Spyro blinked, glancing up slightly as he stood in complete silence. "I'm...I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Most of the time I spent in my baseline is dedicated to making it better and stopping the war early, so when I do have some free time to myself..."

"Well, why don't we check some things out to see what you like?" Twilight asked, tilting her head. "You don't have to worry about anything disrupting the peace here, so—"

Just as Twilight was about to finish that statement, the sound of something crashing and screams were heard as the citizens of Ponyville began running around in a blind panic. Twilight's eyes went wide as she looked around at the havoc. She was about to ask what was going, but she got her answer as something smacked into her face.

Spyro blinked at the sight of a small white rabbit-like thing grasping onto Twilight's face. It turned to face him, staring blankly on with its blue eyes.

"... _DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—_ "

Spyro's expression went blank as his eyes went wide, and the rabbit pulled what appeared to be an oversized spork out of thin air. Before anything happened, though, it was sent flying. Twilight scowled as her horn glowed brightly.

"Oh, come on! You've got to be kidding me!" she said, letting out a low growl.

Berating herself over how, even after so many years, she still had yet to learn not to press the mouth button, she was just about to go full-on alicorn mode when what appeared to be stage coach not unlike Trixie's skidded to a stop next to her, the words 'come with me if you want to stay sane!' plastered on the side of it.

"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie called from the driver's seat.

Twilight could barely muster a half-hearted wave before Rainbow Dash exited the stage coach.

"Twilight, there you are!" said Rainbow Dash, quickly rushing down next to her. "Thank cider I found you!"

"Dash? What the heck is going on?" Twilight asked, quickly throwing up a barrier around them.

"Bad loop variant number four O four! Only on _steroids!_ " Dash proclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air. "Seriously! Normally when we have to deal with Rabbids, we can contain it before it gets out of hand, but these things have been coming out of the birching woodwork in Canterlot since the loop started!"

"Dash, come on! It can't be _that_ ba—"

Before Twilight finished her sentence, the ground began to shake. The group looked around, seeing what looked like a volcano beginning to form. In a cartoony fashion, the volcano sunk down before shooting up and sending a wave of flying Rabbids into the air.

At this, Twilight could only face-hoof. _'Mouth button, Twilight! Mouth button...!'_

"Hurry! Get in!" Rainbow Dash said, quickly heading over to the stage coach. "We're going to try and hold up at the Crystal Empire until either they find a way past the barrier or the loop ends!"

Twilight sighed, looking around to see the havoc that was going on all around them. She turned to Spyro, who had an equally dumbfounded look on his face.

"Please believe me. I _swear_ this doesn't normally happen in the baseline," Twilight said, a frown on her face. "If anything, we can still try to help you relax at the Crystal Empire while all this is going on."

Spyro glanced around, the constant high-pitched screams of "DAAAAAAAAHHHH" in the air echoing out far and wide. His expression went flat.

_'Somehow, I highly doubt I'll be doing much relaxing this loop...'_

* * *

**Classic 17.7:**

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc character?"

"Um, excuse me..."

The group of dragons all looked down at the young pink dragoness Ember, her big blue eyes wide as she put on the most innocent expression she could muster.

"Can I please say something?"

The group of the dragons looked at each other with confused glances before the camera dragon finally rested the lens on Ember.

"I may have a rather unpopular opinion of Gnasty, but I think he may get a bit more bile then he deserves," Ember said, a slight frown on her face. "I mean, yeah, he was jealous of our gems and all, but we didn't exactly make it easier on him by making fun of him, and banishing him to the Dragon Junkyard was a bit extreme." Ember closed her eyes. "Honestly, it's kind of sad. Maybe, if we had just been more accepting, he would have—"

**_CLASH!_ **

Ember blinked before she looked around at the dragon statues with wide eyes. Spyro walked over with a flat expression. Ember frowned.

"Sorry, Spyro. I really thought that painting him in a more sympathetic light would work," she said, lowering her head.

Spyro sighed. "It's alright. I still wonder what set him off, though..."

"Maybe he doesn't like being pitied?" Sparx suggested, a hand on his chin.

Spyro closed his eyes, a frown on his face. Sparx rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. _Still_ not giving up?"

"You called it."

"Uh, Spyro?" Ember asked, a worried expression on her face. "Maybe you should teleport me back home now? My parents are probably wondering why I'm on video miles away from Dragon Village..."

* * *

**Legend 17.8:**

Spyro awoke with a start, nearly stumbling over himself as he walked. Immediately, he noticed something was off compared to how he normally started the loops. He glanced down at himself, noting he was in his teenaged body that he usually grew into at the end of the loop. He was also in Warfang, which he normally wouldn't be at until the tail end of the loop. Shaking the thought off, he was quick to check his in-loop memories.

"...Huh?"

"Spyro? What's wrong?"

Spyro glanced upward to see Sparx hovering over him. Quickly shaking his head, Spyro brushed his current thought process away. "Hey Sparx, you like dragon fruit?"

"Depends. You trying to tell if I'm awake, or is that a general question?"

Shaking his head as he noted that Sparx was awake, Spyro quickly got back to the topic at hand. "Have you checked your in-loop memories yet?"

"Yeah, why?" Sparx asked, glancing down at the purple dragon.

Spyro shook his head before glancing back up at Sparx. "According to what they said, Cynder and I already beat Malefor..." he muttered, his eyes going wide. "You don't think that means the loops finally broke, do you!?"

As Spyro looked around with a growing grin, the sound of a crash rang out. Spyro jumped and was quick to rush down the street towards the source of the noise. As he rounded a corner, he skidded to a stop, his expression going blank.

"BAKA! Watch where you're going!"

Spyro blinked. A cart carrying cabbages had taken an unexpected swerve. A cheetah peddler stood in front of it, his mouth dropping as he fell to his knees. Cynder was standing a short distance away, her eyes narrowed as she glared at the crash. It was only shortly after that Spyro noticed the pink dragoness standing behind her. Sparx crossed his arms.

"Well, by the fact that pinky's here, I'm gonna say no on that," Sparx said, looking down at Spyro.

Spyro's expression went flat, but he quickly shook it off as he began walking down the street. As he approached the downed cart, he felt a sudden uneasiness in the air.

"Cynder? What's going on?" Spyro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cynder turned around with narrowed eyes as she gave a low growl. The peddler stood frozen in place.

"This baka tried to run us over!" Cynder said, turning towards the peddler with fangs bared.

Spyro's expression remained emotionless as he watched Cynder growl at the peddler. Slowly motioning to Sparx to come closer, Spyro put a paw in front of his face and whispered into Sparx's ear, "The heck is a 'baka'?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sparx whispered back, giving a slight shrug.

Cynder grunted, quickly turning back towards Spyro with a growl as she darted right up to his face. "Hey, are you talking about me behind my back!?"

"Huh? Uh, n-no! Of course not!" Spyro said quickly, raising his paws in front of him as he quickly looked away.

Cynder narrowed her eyes, looking away as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "Baka! Remember, it's not like I _wanted_ you to save me from eternal servitude under an ancient evil mastermind!"

Spyro could only blink in response to this statement. A massive grin appeared on Sparx's face. Crossing his arms, he was quick to fly up into the air.

"Wait, does that mean you would have _rather_ stayed under eternal servitude to a nutbag who put you in chains?" Sparx asked, raising an eyebrow as he gave a cheeky grin. "Wow. I didn't take you for the kind of dragoness who's into _that_ kind of stuff. All I can say is congrats, bro!"

Cynder's face turned beet red as she let out a loud growl, her eyes somehow turning complete white with large sketchy outlines around them as a large red cartoony vein appeared on her head. Sparx looked down, trying to suppress a chuckle. Spyro's eyes went wide at the sight, though he was quick to clear his throat as he tried to wipe the blush off his cheeks as well.

He took note of Ember quivering in the background. She appeared to have tears in her eyes as she sat on the ground. Spyro raised an eyebrow, noting that, for whatever reason, Ember had a pair of glasses on. Desperately wanting to change the subject, he quickly headed over to her.

"You alright?" Spyro asked, offering his paw to help her up.

At this statement, Ember appeared to lock up as her eyes became large, white, cartoony disks and a luminescent blush managed to push its way through her normally pink scales. Spyro's expression went blank at the sight, and he backed away slightly as Ember began to shake and babble incoherently. Finally, Ember opened her mouth wide...

" _...Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"_

Spyro blinked as Ember began letting out a soft cry, her mouth opening up and down like a mechanical robot. Hearing this, Cynder jumped in front of Spyro, narrowing her eyes. "Look what you've done! You've made Ember cry!"

Spyro backed away slightly, his eyes darting every which way as he began to breathe heavily. "B-but, all I did was ask her if she was okay!"

"Baka! You know she gets flustered easily by guys around her age!"

"Aren't I the _only_ male dragon around her age, though!? I've never really talked to her! How was I supposed to know that?"

Cynder paused, her expression going blank. She narrowed her eyes, a frown on her face. "Fine. You win _this_ round..."

Spyro breathed a sigh as he watched Cynder head over to comfort Ember. He glanced over to Sparx with wide eyes. Sparx shrugged and began circling the right side of his head with his index finger. Taking the hint, Spyro took a deep breath as he turned back to the two loop-influenced dragonesses with a nervous chuckle.

"Uh, I just remembered; Terrador wanted to tutor me a bit more in how to use the earth element and he was kind of urgent about it, so..." Spyro said, glancing downward as he began fidgeting about.

Cynder glanced over to him with a frown. "What's the matter? Am I not good enough for you that you'd rather train with your mentors than hang out with me?"

"W- _what!? No!_ It's just that, uh..."

Cynder huffed, looking away as she closed her eyes with a frown. "Fine! Go then! It's not like I _wanted_ to hang out with you or anything!"

Spyro blinked, watching as a visible blush appeared on Cynder's cheeks. He frowned, his shoulders drooping. Seeing this, Sparx quickly flew down next to Spyro, hovering next to his ear.

"Spyro, remember! This isn't the Cynder you're used to!"Sparx whispered, placing a hand next to his mouth. "I don't know if you've realized it yet, but it seems the loops decided it'd be funny to apparently make Cynder a bit insane this loop!"

Sparx paused, watching as Cynder attempted to calm Ember down. Ember's eyes had gone back to normal, but as a cabbage began rolling her way, her eyes quickly returned to the odd state they were in before, and she once again started whining loudly. Sparx's left eye began to twitch before he turned back to Spyro.

"That's also not counting the nervous ball of melodrama it's turned pinky into! I don't know about you, Spyro, but I say we cut our losses and head for the hills until the loop is over."

Spyro bit his lip before looking back towards Cynder and Ember. Seeing Cynder glance over to him with an annoyed glare, Spyro froze.

"Uh, what's that, Terrador!? Hold on, I'm coming!" Spyro said, quickly darting off at speeds that would even impress Classic.

Cynder paused before she let out a sigh, looking down as she started poking her index claws together. "B-baka..."

* * *

Spyro frowned to himself as he walked, now moving at a slower pace, having put some distance between him and the in-loop dragonesses. Sparx flew down next to him with arms crossed.

"C'mon, Spyro! You know that wasn't _really_ Cynder back there, right?" Sparx asked, giving a frown. "I mean, Cyndy can be a bit irritable when she's grouchy, but..."

"I know Sparx, but still..." Spyro said, looking up at him with a frown.

"Hey, try thinking of it this way," Sparx said, placing an open palm in front of him. "That was one of Cynder's annoying _cousins_ , who occasionally pops up when Cynder has too much of a headache to deal with the current loop."

Spyro raised eyebrow at Sparx as he stopped in his tracks, looking at his brother in complete silence for a few seconds.

"... You know, I can't help but wonder how you come up with this stuff," Spyro said flatly.

"What can I say? I'm a creative dragonfly."

Spyro chuckled a little, taking a deep breath. Sparx smirked, flying next to Spyro as he placed an elbow on his head.

"So, it's nice to see you're feeling a bit better, but still... We heading for the hills or what?" Sparx asked, looking around the immediate area. "I mean, if the loop turned Cyndy into a ball of aggravation and Ember into an emotional bag that cries at the drop of a hat, I'd hate to see what it's done to the other females this loop..."

"Hey! Spyro!"

Spyro raised an eyebrow before turning to Sparx. Sparx shrugged. "Don't look at me. I've never heard that voice before."

Cautiously, Spyro and Sparx turned around towards the source of the voice...and, almost immediately, their jaws dropped as their eyes went wide in horror.

There were many odd things one would eventually see after beginning their looping life, but what stood in front of Spyro had to be the oddest thing he had seen so far. A white dragoness, or at least a creature that had the _body_ of a dragoness, strode up towards him with a smug look on her face. Variant dragons were something Spyro had gotten used to, but variant dragons who looked like they had shards of crystal embedded in their bodies was something else entirely. Spyro's left eye twitched as, instinctively, he began backing away as the crystal-dragon abomination drew closer.

"'Bout time I found you. Been looking all over the place for you," said the dragoness, not taking the obvious hint as she got closer to Spyro.

"Good lord, lady! Are you alright!? You look like you lost a fight with a chandelier!" Sparx blurted out, quickly flying out of the way.

The dragoness huffed, glaring at Sparx. "How dare you! I'll have you know these crystals are of the finest quality and are one hundred percent natural!"

"Uh, yeah. Lady, I don't think that's something you should be proud of!"

Spyro could only watch on with mouth agape as the dragoness let out a low growl at his brother. She took a deep breath before looking back at Spyro with a smile and narrowed eyes. Spyro flinched, once again beginning to back up as the dragoness drew closer.

"Anyways, Spyro..." she said, ignoring all sense of personal space as she brushed up against him. "Have you finally come to your senses? I mean, being a purple dragon, you are the perfect dragon by far, and the perfect dragon deserves the perfect dragoness..."

Spyro tumbled over himself as he attempted to back away. Quickly getting back to his paws, he cleared his throat as the dragoness gave a giggle.

"Uh, I-I'm sorry, but _who_ are you!?" Spyro asked, eyes darting every which way for any possible escape route.

The dragoness huffed, a frown on her face. "Spyro! I'm ashamed! How could you forget the glorious Flashwing? I'm only the most glorious dragoness in all of Warfang!"

"Uh, yeah. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night, lady."

Flashwing growled, glaring at Sparx as she bared her fangs. "Silence, you _insect_! I'll have you know my family has been held in the most pristine regard for generations! We are the top of class when it comes to being a proper dragon!"

"So, such things as 'personal space' isn't part of being top class?"

Flashwing's face went beet red as Sparx just gave her a cheeky grin in response. As Flashwing took a deep breath, she turned back to Spyro with a seductive smile. Spyro gulped as she began to get closer, his back now firmly against a wall, her face barely inches from his.

"So, anyway, Spyro..." Flashwing said, her eyes narrowing as her voice lowered. "How about it? I can certainly make it worth your time..."

"U-uh, s-s-sorry! B-b-but I already have a mate!" Spyro said, quickly darting to the side as he began backing down the street. _'At least, I really,_ really _hope I do this loop!'_

"Come on now, Spyro," Flashwing said, slowly walking after him. "I'm sure she'll understand you calling off that arrangement when she sees who you left her for..."

"Oh, she'll understand alright. She might be a bit worried over my bro losing his mind, though."

Flashwing looked back towards Sparx with a growl. In this momentary lapse of observation, Spyro was quick to begin hauling tail as he spread his wings and flew down the street as fast as they would carry him. Noticing this, Flashwing's jaw dropped.

"Wha— _Spyro!_ Wait u _—_ _AGH!_ "

Before Flashwing could spread her wings to chase after him—how that would work with wings made of crystal was anyone's guess—she was interrupted when a tomato smacked the side of her face. She glared over, seeing Sparx holding another tomato above his head. She was about to say something when drips of tomato juice began to slide down her face. Noticing some on her snout, her mouth dropped as her eyes went wide.

"You horrid little insect! Do you know what you've done!?" she exclaimed, quickly shaking her head in an attempt to shake the tomato juice off. "My crystals! My lovely crystals! Do you realize how easily they _stain_ _!?_ WATER! _I need water!"_

Sparx smirked, watching as Flashwing took off in the opposite direction as she began to babble to herself about her appearance. Sparx placed the tomato back on the stand, pulling out a crystal from his subspace and setting it down beside it before heading after his brother.

* * *

Spyro sat with his back against the wall, taking deep breaths, his wide eyes darting back and forth as his body shook uncontrollably. Taking a deep breath, he let out an exasperated sigh, tipping his head back.

"Spyro?"

_"GAH!"_

Spyro tumbled over himself as he fell to the side. Looking up in wide-eyed horror, he saw a glowing yellow ball of light floating there. Sparx crossed his arms, giving a frown. "Geez, _relax._ It's just me."

Spyro silently picked himself up, closing his eyes. "Sorry, Sparx. Given how this loop has gone so far..."

"Yeah. I haven't seen anything like this since...well, ever. We rarely get variations," Sparx said flatly, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah. When I said I wanted variations that didn't have to do with a war of some kind, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind..." Spyro muttered, taking a quick glance behind him to make sure he wasn't about to be jumped by any more 'admirers.' Looking back at Sparx with wide eyes and a nervous twitch, Spyro gulped. "Y-you don't think that dragoness exists in our baseline, do you?"

"'Mineral head'? Heck no!" Sparx said, crossing his arms. "I mean, you saw her! She has to be a variation! No way someone so ridiculous looking could exist in any baseline!"

Spyro took one last glance behind him before looking back at Sparx. "I really, _really_ hope you're right, Sparx..."

"Huh? Oh, Spyro."

 _'Oh, what now!?'_ Spyro thought, his face drooping as he dared to look behind him.

"It's been a while since I last saw you. How have you been?" Elora asked, her expression barely showing enough emotion to show she was something resembling happy.

Spyro tried his best to put on a friendly expression. From what he remembered during the loop with Classic, Elora was nice and level-headed enough. However, considering this loop was dedicated to making every female a one-dimensional stereotype, he was _not_ taking any chances.

"I-I've been good. You know, just trying to... _adjust_ to things now that there's no war," Spyro said, his voice a bit shaky as he put on a mock smile.

"That's good to hear. If you need any help, remember that I'm always willing to give it to you," Elora said, though she was quick to place her hand in front of her mouth as she blushed. "Oh, uh, I mean, helping you adjust to the city, not, uh..."

Spyro could feel his left eye wanting to twitch desperately at the slip-up. How could so many females fall for _anyone_ at the same time? He needed foresight on this, and fast. Finally having a moment to check his in-loop memories as Elora began babbling to herself over her slip-up, Spyro took a deep relaxing breath.

_"Spyro!"_

...Which was quickly disrupted as his eyes shot open, a terrified look on his face as he saw the dragoness he hoped he would never see again heading his way. Flashwing had a content smile on her face as she skidded to a stop inches away from his face, Spyro tumbling over at the invasion of personal space.

"Sorry it took so long to find you. You know how it is with us ladies. We have to look our best," she said before she narrowed her eyes with a smile on her face. "Now then, where were we...?"

"Flashwing, are you _still_ on this?" Elora asked, narrowing her eyes as her expression barely showed something resembling annoyance. "Spyro has made it _very_ clear in the past that he has no interest in you."

"Oh, and he has an interest in you?" Flashwing asked, narrowing her eyes at Elora. "You aren't even the same _species_ he is!"

"And you _are_?"

Flashwing let out a low growl as she glared at Sparx, while Elora tried her best to suppress a chuckle. Spyro gulped, about ready to spread his wings and haul tail out of Warfang as he backed up against a wall.

"Hey! _Get away from him!_ "

Before Spyro knew what was happening, Cynder had darted forward, standing in front of Flashwing with a scowl. Flashwing merely held a slightly amused smirk on her face.

"Oh look. Little miss _Terror of the Skies_ is jealous. Why don't you just give up? Besides calling him an idiot all the time, after everything you did to him, do you _really_ think he has feelings for _you?_ "

Spyro scowled, about to step forward to object. Fortunately, or _un_ fortunately, Cynder was quicker to speak up.

" _BAKA!_ How dare you! At least I still have something resembling common sense after all that happened to me!" Cynder said, growling as a scowl was planted firmly on her face. "Unlike _you_ , you self-absorbed intergalactic hick from space!"

"Intergalactic hick from space? _I_ _ntergalactic hick from space!?_ " Flashwing exclaimed, narrowing her eyes as she got right up to Cynder's face. "I'll have you know, you _uncultured ruffian!_ My family may have come from a different planet, but we are also the top of class both there _and_ here! Unlike _you_ , you barbaric swine!"

"Yeah, top class of egomaniacs, maybe!"

"Really now? Is that the best comeback you got? I suppose I shouldn't have expected much of someone who prefers to solve problems with their claws!"

"Yeah, yeah. I fought in the war! If you're going to throw that in my face, why don't we go outside the walls and I can show you exactly _why_ I was such a force to be reckoned with!"

"Now, now, girls," Elora said, quickly getting in between the two bickering dragonesses. "We're all close to adults here. Surely we can handle this in a more civilized manner."

"That's what _I've_ been trying to do. This riffraff here is the one being unreasonable!"

"Oh really! This coming from the _'lady'_ who's quick to insult anyone who slightly disagrees with her! BAKA!"

"Who the heck even _says_ 'baka' these days!? If anyone's an idiot here, it's _you!_ "

Spyro pressed further against the wall, his eyes wide in terror at the ensuing argument between the three females. He looked to his left, about to dash away, but paused when he noticed a pink head poking out from around the corner. Ember froze when she saw Spyro looking her way, eyes wide as she began to shake slightly.

"... _Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—_ "

Spyro began back-stepping as he spread his wings, but he was quickly grounded before he took off when Flashwing wrapped her forelegs around him.

"Come on, Spyrie-poo, tell these _commoners_ that clearly a high class dragon such as yourself deserves a high class dragoness in tow!"

" _Baka!_ Spyro, tell this self-absorbed _bitch_ that you have no interest in her!"

"Spyro, calm down and just tell everyone you're not looking for someone at the moment!"

" _Piiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Piiiiiiiiiiiii!_ "

Spyro began breathing heavily as he saw Sparx trying in vain to push his way past the onslaught of females. He began to rock back and forth, vision beginning to blur as breathing started becoming a strain for him. Suddenly, just when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, a bright purple flash erupted just in front of the mob of females.

"Sorry, ladies, _but he isn't interested_!"

Before Spyro knew what had happened, there was another flash of light and the girls in the general vicinity collapsed. Spyro blinked, now having a moment to look around at the unconscious mob of girls who all wanted to be his mate. Glancing over, he saw that whatever had happened had affected Sparx too. Before he could say anything, he was whisked away in a purple flash.

* * *

Spyro appeared on a mountain top, eyes rolling in his head. Quickly shaking it off, Spyro glanced over as he felt a presence next to him. Stumbling backwards, the lavender unicorn shook her head.

"Relax, Spyro. I'm awake, and have no interest in going along with the role this loop put me in," Twilight said, giving a small smile. "Good thing I got there in time. You looked about ready to pass out." She raised an eyebrow. "... By the way, which Spyro are you again?"

"Legend. Or Ro," Spyro said, slowly picking himself up. "You know, the one who _isn't_ horrified by feelings of love... Of course, after _this_ loop, though..."

Twilight chuckled. "Okay then. Am I correct in assuming this isn't what your baseline's like?"

"Not by a long shot," Spyro said flatly, expression going flat. "Though, _somehow,_ it ended up just as stressful."

"Well then, Ro, allow me to welcome you to your first 'unwanted harem' variant. When I looped in, I was supposed to be the 'quiet bookworm' type, but..." Twilight closed her eyes with a frown. "As someone who has unfortunate experience with these kinds of variants, and can sympathize with how unpleasant they are, my best piece of advice is to _run_. Preferably to some place that non-loopers usually can't reach. Like the _moon_."

Spyro looked on blankly at Twilight's suggestion. "Can you actually _do_ that?"

"Sure. The moon, Mars, the not-really-a-planet Pluto... Take your pick."

Spyro tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "...Is it alright if I take Cynder with us, even if she isn't awake at the moment? She's my looping mate, so..."

"Depends. What kind of personality type was she?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not sure... All I know is she kept calling me a 'baka', whatever that is, and seemed easily annoyed."

"Tsundere," Twilight deadpanned. "Trust me, Spyro. Even if you two are together in the loops, you do _not_ want to get mixed up with tsunderes. Besides, from what I gather, purple dragons apparently have an odd effect on females this loop, regardless of species." Twilight glanced up at her horn. "If it weren't for the layer of protective magic I have casted around me at the moment, it might not even matter that I was looping or not."

"And how do you know that?" Spyro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was in the book I was reading when I awoke," Twilight said, pulling a book out of her subspace. "Here. Chapter eight, page sixty nine."

Spyro looked at the book in confusion before looking back up at Twilight. "...Why do you have it in your subspace?"

"Oh, I just kind of collect books from all around the multiverse, is all..." Twilight said, scratching the back of her neck. "I mean, considering this is a variant, it's unlikely that it'll pop up again anytime soon."

Spyro blinked, but regardless quickly shook it off, opening the book and turning it to the respective page.

_'Alas, Malefor wasn't always the crazy megalomaniac he was remembered for. Once upon a time, he was a great and helpful dragon in his own right. However, among the many abilities a purple dragon has, unintentionally charming ladies seems to be one they cannot control. It didn't take long before their constant attention grabbing—and the looks of ire from fellow males—caused Malefor to finally snap and spark the century-long war he was infamous for._

_When the next purple dragon is born, we must take caution to keep females away from him at all cost, lest we risk a repeat of what has happened with Malefor...'_

Spyro's eye twitched. Malefor went insane and started a war because girls wouldn't leave him alone. The worst part about it was, considering everything he'd experienced, it wasn't that hard to believe...

* * *

**Classic loop 17.9:**

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc character?"

"I'll tell you about Gnasty Gnorc!"

The dragons jumped as Hunter rushed towards the camera, grabbing the microphone off the boom and quickly hogging the camera. "Gnasty Gnorc is one of the greatest beings in the Dragon Realms! He's one of the strongest and most level-headed gnorcs to ever exist! Gems quiver in his presence, and he was wrongly banished to the junkyard. I say it's all you dragons who are crazy, and—"

**_CLASH!_ **

Hunter dropped the microphone as he looked around at the dragon statues in confusion. Spyro walked over, his expression flat as he let out a low growl.

"Okay, _seriously!_ The _heck_ did we do wrong this time!?" Spyro exclaimed, smoke flaring from his nostrils.

"Uh... Maybe he thought you were mocking him?" Sparx suggested with a shrug. "Really, your guess is as good as mine at this point."

"Whatever the case, you still owe me twenty thousand gems for that," Hunter said, pulling his jetpack out of his subspace pocket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the Forgotten Realms for the time being since I've likely made every dragon in this current loop very, _very_ angry at me."

Spyro watched as Hunter took to the sky, flying off as fast as his jetpack would carry him. Sparx glanced down at Spyro. "...Still not giving up?"

Spyro merely let out a growl in response.

* * *

**Legend 17.10:**

Spyro scowled as he looked over himself, struggling to get used to his short body structure. If Sparx had had arms, he would have placed one of them in front of his mouth as he chuckled.

"Well, I have to say, you've never looked better, bro."

Spyro's expression went flat. "Shut up, Sparx."

"Ah, c'mon Spyro! Just because you look like a gremlin this loop doesn't mean you have to act like one," Sparx said, a mischievous grin on his face.

Spyro let out a low groan, closing his eyes as he placed his paw over his face. So far this 'Skyland' had been home to some rather _interesting_ creatures, to say the least. Spyro couldn't imagine who could have come up with such outlandish designs for the beings of this world. It wouldn't have bugged him as much had it not been for the universe giving him an equally odd design to match, but the laws of the universe were apparently a very fickle mistress. He took a deep breath, already getting the feeling this loop was going to be a thing.

"Hey, look at it this way... At least this universe had enough common sense to keep you within the bounds of reptile anatomy."

Spyro frowned as he looked over to Cynder, said dragoness looking down with a scowl at her rather _endowed_ chest. Expression flat, she closed her eyes. "Dragonesses are _not_ supposed to have these..."

Spyro went over to Cynder, placing a paw on her back as he gave a concerned frown. Getting a slight smile out of his mate, Spyro gave a smile in return. Sparx rested down on Spyro's head with an amused smirk.

"All things considered, I made out rather well," Sparx said, looking down them. "It's a bit annoying not having arms, but at least I look reasonable in comparison to that other Sparx."

Spyro rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. He took a deep breath. All things considered, this loop could have been much worse. At least there was no war to deal with, so that was a good thing at the very least. If rather odd designs was the worst this universe could throw at them, then this loop might not be so bad after all.

" _Oh, Spyroooooooo!"_

Spyro froze, face curling in a terrified scowl as he saw a certain mineral-based dragoness heading their way.

 _"Hide me!"_ Spyro said, quickly darting behind Cynder.

Sparx watched as Flashwing approached in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, though he was quick to roll them. "You know, I'd say I was surprised that stonehead actually has her own world, but considering what we've seen of it so far..."

Spyro's left eye twitched. So much for a peaceful loop away from the war...

* * *

**Classic 17.11:**

"What about this G'Nasty G'Norc chara—?"

"I'll tell you about Gnasty Gnorc, alright!"

The dragons jumped out of the way as Spyro leapt in front of the camera, grabbing the microphone off the boom as he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth, a low growl escaping his throat.

"Gnasty Gnorc is an oversensitive whiner who is quite possibly the only being in the entire Dragon Realms that can get into a hissy fit over someone _outright freaking praising him!_ I swear, in all my time in the realms, I have not met such a childish, _ugly, son of a—_ "

* * *

Spyro awoke in a daze as a flash of light flared out around him. Grabbing his head, he steadied himself. Ember was standing in front of him, Sparx floating next to her. Spyro blinked.

"You alright?" Ember asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I think so... What the heck happened?"

"Gnasty turned you to stone," Sparx deadpanned, a smirk on his face.

"What? How? Doesn't the spell usually just fly right over me?" Spyro asked, sitting down as he desperately tried to make the world stop spinning around him.

"Not when you enraged him enough that he specifically targeted you first," Sparx said, giving an amused grin. "In hindsight, maybe calling him out while hogging the camera _wasn't_ the best of ideas."

Spyro groaned, holding his head in his paws. Sparx placed a hand on his chin. "Let me guess. Finally give up?"

"Was the rant not obvious enough?" Spyro deadpanned, glaring at Sparx. Finally picking himself up, he shook his head. "I give up! There's no freaking way to derail the interview that _doesn't_ result in Gnasty turning dragons to stone! If I want to stop him from doing that, it'd be easier to teleport to his lair and _personally_ tell him to stop it!"

Spyro took a deep breath, a scowl on his face as he began mumbling under his breath, heading towards one of the dragon statues. Ember blinked before turning to Sparx.

"Is he really giving up? Surely there has to be _some_ way to keep the interview from going in a direction that results in dragon statues..."

"He's not going to give up," Sparx said flatly, an amused expression on his face. "He may rage-quit for a bit after several failed attempts, but he's nothing short of stubborn. I give him about a loop or five before he attempts to derail the interview again."

* * *

**(A/N: Hey guys, if you're wondering why I'm putting the A/N in the fic itself and not in the end notes area, that's because this author's note is _long_ , as I have a lot to say. And when I mean long, I mean longer than usual. /shot**

**And thus, I think we finally have the loops' first real running gag. I'm not going to try and over-abuse it, mind you. That happened in the FiM loops with the 'why are we 'X'' loops, and now it's gotten to the point where, unless it's some variation mocking it, they've more or less outright banned these kinds of loops from the compilation threads.**

**Also speaking of the FiM loops, I've come to a decision that a lot of you likely aren't going to be happy with...though, a lot of you will likely also be happy about this decision. From now on, there's going to be a decrease in FiM-fused loops in the Spyro loops, with 'A Heart of Crystal' likely be the last serious thing I'll write that involves it.**

**I have many reasons for this, but the main one boils down to the threads where people submit snips has slowly more and more been taking a turn into the dreaded 'serious business' territory. It's not super bad at the moment, but there have been a lot more arguments over snips then there were in the past, and a lot of the usual gags, as well as the 'Equestria is the main sanctuary/therapy loop' have come under fire lately about how they're becoming the answer to any and all problems.**

**And that's not even getting into the arguments about how Equestrian loopers have become broken uber powerful and need a nerf for things to be interesting again plz... Which is not helped by the people who say that they would still remain game breakers even if they had their powers suppressed for a loop and had no foresight of what they're dealing with whatsoever.**

**Which reminds me of another point I want to make. There's been some reviews pointing out that the loopers should be much more powerful than I'm portraying them in the context of the story. This is because, besides causing arguments like I'm pointing out above, I don't feel like being trapped in a time warp would instantly turn you into a demi-god. I know this is going against how other people portray characters in the loops, but here's my reasoning.**

**First off, having done research on this (after hearing this on Cracked), it can take at least around ten years to properly master a skill, and that's only if someone is working around the clock with no rest whatsoever just practicing said skill, so even in a time warp, while Legend and Classic could learn additional abilities to their elements, and maybe some outside loop abilities, it would still take them a very long time to master them, even in a time loop.**

**There's also the fact that, unlike what most shounen animes protest, everyone and everything has their limits. You can only put so much storage on your computer before it just can't handle any more, like how you can only body build until it becomes outright dangerous to continue to do so. Even if a time loop allows them to build their raw power, there's only a certain threshold they can reach before they just can't push it any further, at which point the best they can do is learn new ways to use one's abilities.**

**Basically, it's how I would view a 'realistic' time warp, more or less. You can increase your skills and abilities through sheer repetition, but unless you fully devote yourself to increasing your abilities, you're not going to reach demi-godlike levels any time soon, and even then, beings still have their limits. Heck, even DBZ was willing to acknowledge that with it's latest movie where*SPOILER ALERT*even when Goku got yet another new Super Saiyan form, it still wasn't enough to push him past the threshold needed to properly fight at the same level as a God, being one of the few times he failed to stop the bad guy.*SPOILERS END***

**Besides, taking into account that Legend characters usually have the war to deal with in baseline, and Classic characters in general prefer messing around instead of training, I highly doubt any of them are working around the clock just to become stronger. Besides, I would also generally prefer keeping them 'reasonably' powerful than just making them powerful for the sake of being powerful.**

**Anyways, with my two cents on 'power levels in the loops' out of the way, I should also point out this chapter was where I finally acknowledged the Skylanders verse. It started because I couldn't think of any other females in the Spyro verse who have showed an interest in Spyro for the harem snip, and I found Flashwing's design ridiculous enough to be hilarious, so I decided to roll with it. Plus, it was kind of obligatory there'd be a loop poking fun at Skylander redesigns.**

**Does this mean Skylanders will be added in to the mix? Well, not as its own dedicated snippet verse. While it is going to be treated as a separate universe like the Classic and Legend verses in case someone wants to start up a Skylanders loops, for the most part, the only things that'll likely appear from it are characters that are needed for a snip to work.**

**Now, I feel like someone is going to find my treatment of Flashwing hypocritical considering most have Ember in that position, which I have made very apparent in the past that I hold a lot of disdain for. In my defence, I'm not treating Flashwing like that as shipping fodder. I absolutely detest when people do that... I'm doing it because the idea of Legend having an abhorrent admirer is too hilarious to pass up and is not going to be taken seriously in the slightest. On top of that, everyone in the harem snip was flanderized to comedic extremes, so yeah. XD;;**

**Besides, I feel like it fits Flashwing's 'personality' a lot more than it does Ember. Most Skylanders have next to zero characterization. From what I've read on the wiki, Flashwing's only characterization is that she came from a meteorite and sent the Skylander who found her flying into the air for whatever reason, and that combined with some of her in-game quotes, from what I heard, make her sound rather full of herself. Going off of that, it'd make more sense that Flashwing would go after the legendary purple dragon because she's rather conceded and would want only those she considers of equal importance to be her mate a lot more then Ember.**

**That said, if she does appear in later snips, she is not going to be as extreme as she was in harem snip. I read on the Skylander wiki that she does have a good heart deep down, so you can consider the harem snip a variant when it comes to personalities. She'll still be very flirty towards Legend (and possibly Classic), but no 'get out my face before I kick your arse' like she was in that snip.**

**And again, it's mostly because of rule of funny, given how ridiculous I find Flashwing's design. I suppose if there's too much of a backlash, though, we can easily just chalk it up to a loop variation. /shot**

**Also, a bit of a self plug here, but for all of you who are enjoying the Spyro loops so far, and especially the interactions between Classic and Legend characters, I recently started up another fic entitled 'Echoes of the Past' that has a good combination of both series in it like the loops. It's a bit more serious in tone though, being an adventure fic instead of a comedy, but over all I like how it's turning out so far. For all of you who have been asking for a Classic Cynder, you should go check it out, as that fic has what I would consider Cynder to be like if she was born in the Classic verse. (Though, recently I've decided to go back and retool the prologue a bit to tone my original characterization of her down a bit.)**

**Now then, with the longest author's note ever out of the way, it's finally time to get to the loop titles.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Classic loops this chapter: Maybe if you tried breaking the camera...
> 
> Legend 17.4: One of the loops' most classical gags. We're including it just this once because of tradition, and that's the only time it'll pop up.
> 
> Legend 17.6: This was supposed to be the start of a running gag that Legend has absolute terrible luck when it comes to FiM loops, but again, 'serious business' happened, so...
> 
> Legend 17.8: Would it be weird to say this was a legit idea I had for a fanfic? Only difference is there would be OCs as well as canon characters. And they would stay in and or as close to character as possible. And the OCs would have realistic personalities and not be blatant anime stereotypes. As well as having an overall plot.
> 
> So, basically, a good attempt at the harem genre. /shot
> 
> Legend 17.10: You know, there was a recent joke on a Forum I go to that deals with 'things a dragoness should not have' that I can reference, but I'd rather not...)

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: And there we have it. The beginning of a mini side project I plan on doing between Scattered Embers and The Holiday Chronicles.
> 
> This series is based off a popular new trend going around the Fanfiction scene started by the FF.N user Innortal. Basically, a collection of drabbles/one-shots, as the popular (and lengthy) explanation goes...
> 
> Nobody knows how the loops happened.
> 
> They tend involve a complete 'reset' of the series, with only the 'loopers' keeping their memories in between loops. One, or in rare cases, several loopers are called "Anchors" (In this case, the Anchors in this fic/one-shot collection are 'Classic' Spyro and 'Classic' Sparx in the 'classic' world, and 'Legend' Spyro in the 'legend' world), which means they are the first ones to loop and will always retain their memories from every loop.
> 
> Occasionally, people close to the Anchors will also keep their memories between loops, as with the case with 'Legend' Sparx. Generally, this only happens rarely at first, but quickly becomes more common as the loops go on.
> 
> The resets aren't always exact replicas, though. Sometimes, the loop's history will differ greatly from what happened in canon, as with the case with Flame replacing Spyro as the protagonist for a loop. (And, depending on who you ask, Flame and Ember being siblings. Personally, I tend to view them as brother and sister. Sue me for being different. /shot)
> 
> On rare occasions, "Cross-Over" or "Fusion" loops can happen. These can involve the home loopers having a guest along for the ride, or another character replacing a canon character. (As is the case in Legends Loop 1.3)
> 
> I should note: I do have some cross-over loops with other series planned, but regardless I'm going to keep this in the main section because the focus will almost always be Spyro. I've seen other people do that with their loop fics, so unless I get a note from an FF.N admin telling me to change the category, I don't plan on changing that stance anytime soon.
> 
> Vacation Loops are where the Anchor (or other loopers) decide to say 'screw it' and let off steam by doing whatever crazy stuff comes to mind. Generally, there's little or no attempt to maintain the original timeline.
> 
> Loop duration is variable, and generally associated with the series in question. For the Spyro loops, for Classic Spyro it's shortly after he's beaten the Sorcerer from Shadow Legacy, and for Legends Spyro it's about an hour after he repairs the world after the events of 'Dawn of the Dragon'... Or, of course, until either of them die. Whichever comes first.
> 
> When it comes to the 'original five loopers', that honor goes to Ranma Saotome, Lina Inverse, Shinji Ikari, Harry Potter, and Naruto Uzumaki. I only really know two of those five, but I felt like I should bring this up because if any of themdoappear in a cross-over loop, they'll be vastly different from how they are in canon due to being 'veterans', so to speak.
> 
> Generally, more experienced loopers tend to be rather stir crazy at this point. Usually, hilarity ensues pretty quickly.
> 
> ... And that's pretty much 'The Infinite Loops' in a nut-shell. When I saw this, I knew I had to do this with Spyro. Granted, TLoS will likely be much more serious in tone for several loops until the characters get used to it, but that also allows me to explore the more 'fridge horror' aspects of such a plot in a setting that can cause unintentional pain to some...
> 
> Also, generally 'The Infinite Loops' tend to be collab/community projects, so I'm going to see if I can get any of my friends to join in on this. I might also start up a new Forum in place of my current one for this for anyone else who wants to join in.
> 
> Anyways, for the names of these particular loops...
> 
> Legend Loops:
> 
> 1.1: The Promise
> 
> 1.2: The usual way isn't always the best way.
> 
> 1.3: The Legend of Spyro: Ripto's Rage
> 
> Classic Loops:
> 
> 1.1: Trouble with the dragon, eh?
> 
> 1.2: Flame the Dragon
> 
> 1.3: Feed it a missile.


End file.
